


For A Greater Good

by katherinewilliams221b



Series: 1995-1996 [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Durmstrang, F/M, Mentions of blood and wounds, Mystery, Romance, but his bits are scarce until the end (2 chapter where he is very present), charlie appears at the beginning and at the end, he is mentioned and there's a flashback in the middle, mentions of drug abuse, mentions of muggle discrimination, more mystery than romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:28:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26406499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katherinewilliams221b/pseuds/katherinewilliams221b
Summary: Kate Williams, young healer and member of the Order,  joins Durmstrang's staff at Dumbledore's request. Her mission? Find a  Death Eater and survive long enough to tell the story. Set in 1996.
Relationships: Charlie Weasley/Original Character(s), Charlie Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Series: 1995-1996 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866469
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	1. Beginnings

If one finds themselves in a situation where the world is moving too fast for the brain to process, it’s only natural to want it to stop. Cedric’s death, the return of the Dark Lord and learning about the Order of the Phoenix happened too close to each other to be able to digest it.

Kate’s first mission consisted in convincing the Albanian government that Lord Voldemort had returned and, with no evidence, try to put the country in red alert. Now she faced another kind of challenge: infiltrating in Durmstrang to unmask a possible Death Eater that threatened the school. This time she wouldn’t have her father’s help to win.

Thinking about it, celebrating Christmas had been a luxury she now regretted. There were too many things to be done, and she needed to focus on discovering Voldemort’s minion.

A sudden icy breeze woke Kate from her thoughts. She stood impatiently in the place outside London that Dumbledore ordered her to go. She looked up at the sky, blue and free of clouds. A rare sunny day that she intended to enjoy for as long as she could.

She closed her eyes, resting her head against a streetlamp, and felt the warmth that the sun was providing.

The sensation of peace ended when the usual redness of her eyelids, because of the light, was replaced with darkness.

Three pairs of winged horses pulled a black carriage above her. After some manoeuvring, the carriage landed a few meters in front of her. She could see the Durmstrang emblem painted in bright red on the side of it.

A man, that shouldn’t fit inside a carriage of those dimensions, stepped out with a roll of parchment in his hands.

“Williams, Katherine. Meeting point L23, seven-thirty in the morning.”

“That would be me.” She approached the place where he stood and showed him her healer card. When he finished the register, he gestured to the door and conjured her trunk to follow him to the back of the carriage.

She stepped in expecting an extension charm but was rapidly disappointed to find a seat for one.

“Get comfortable.” murmured the man before slamming the door in her face.

Kate clutched her leather bag under her cape with one hand and her dragon necklace with the other and tried to calm her nerves with a deep breath.

“Attention everyone,” the driver’s voice sounded amplified through the room “Welcome aboard the second flight of this year, one that I am not recompensed for. The estimated duration of the flight is three hours and fourteen minutes, time that could have been greatly reduced if I was allowed to bring outsiders with the ship. If it’s absolutely imperative for you to succumb to basic needs, tap your wand three times to the piece of wood in front of you.”

She did notice he spoke to her in plural, but she decided to ignore it and rest her head against the window and watch how London got smaller and smaller as they ascended.

Astrid Rhode was an acquaintance of Dumbledore and current headmaster of Durmstrang Institute. She had expressed the vulnerability of the school after the sudden disappearance of Igor Karkarov and believed that a teacher was providing information to someone outside the institution.

Since the start of the year, some odd things had been occurring; missing books from the library, professors suffering accidents and students getting involved in more and more physical fights.

She emphasised her concerns on the latter, since they allow the students to duel in the school.

Dumbledore proposed her as a suitable mole, and professor Rhode offered a place in the hospital wing for her to work.

They both refused to give more details to the mission, considering that owls could be easily intercepted.

She opened her leather bag and took a small pouch containing some toasted almonds. Biting one of them, a memory of that same morning played itself in her head.

Kate brought a hand to her eyelids and rested her arm there for a moment. While she yawned, she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. That gave her the strength to sit on her side of the bed and stare at the trunk that stood mockingly in a corner.

Looking behind her, she let out a heavy sigh at the sight of the still night sky. 

Throwing her robe over her shoulders, she ventured outside the half-opened door.

Charlie stood facing the counter while he rummaged through the cupboards.

Sneaking behind him, she put her arms around his middle and buried her face in the back of his neck, considering getting back to sleep then and there.

“I’m sorry I woke you. I figured you could use a little more sleep.” He whispered, leaving the mugs on the counter and covering her arms with his.

“You were not wrong…” she mumbled.

Charlie enjoyed the quietness of the moment and stood there caressing her forearms with his thumbs. Contemplating the almonds, he had placed in a small fabric bag, he thought about how another long separation would threaten their relationship, what other obstacles would come in their way, the possibilities of her not returning or if she did return, what would happen then? What if she didn’t even… make it?

Mentally admonishing himself for the thoughts, he turned his head to look at her and a deep chuckle came out from his chest.

“Did you fall asleep?”

Kate didn’t move, just answered with a short “hm” which didn’t reveal if it was supposed to mean “yes” or “no”. She reluctantly detangled her arms and rounded him to steal an almond from the bag.

“Hey, those are for your trip,” he tied the thin cord around it and put the bag away from her grasp “no touching!”

Kate popped the one she had between her fingers into her mouth and smiled in surprise.

“You roasted them!”

He chuckled, trying to push her arms away from the bag. The playful fight ended up with the grumble of Kate’s stomach, which triggered another round of laughing.

“Here, take this.” They quickly set the kitchen island with orange juice, coffee and toast and enjoyed their last breakfast together, before another goodbye.

“You promise you will take care of yourself, right?” Charlie fastened the cape of her black robes around her neck.

“Well, I wasn’t going to, but if you ask…”

“I’m serious.”

Kate shook her head and grinned. She walked to the couch and grabbed her bag before standing in front of him again.

“I’m going to be just fine, and I won’t ‘play hero’ as you so often put it.” Sneaking her arms around his neck, it was his turn to shake his head.

“I know that’s a full lie but hearing it, it’s oddly reassuring, anyway.”

He pressed his forehead against hers, and they smiled.

“Now you are the one I’m worried about,” she said firmly. “Can I trust you not to put your head inside a dragon’s mouth? And I mean that quite literally.”

“I’ve never done that…” he started, and the gleam in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

“Please don’t say ‘yet’.”

He chuckled and hugged her to him, holding her head against his shoulder.

Feeling her move, he met her eyes for a brief moment before touching his lips to her, a kiss that turned more intense than planned.

She touched his lower lip and pulled away, caressing from the corner of his mouth to his cheek.

“I have to go.”

Charlie nodded and walked her to the chimney where he helped her step in.

“What’s the plan then?”

When Charlie handed her the flu powder, she avoided the bowl and placed her hand on his wrist. Balancing herself, she stepped out of the chimney and grabbed Charlie’s face with both hands before stealing one last kiss.

“Head to Grimmauld Place and follow Dumbledore’s instructions.”

With his other hand, he freed the brown locks of hair that were trapped under the strap of her bag and brushed them out of her face.

“On your way, then.” 

–

The moment Kate planted her foot on the ground and saw the castle before her, she understood, in some twisted way, why the school didn’t want to be found.

An immense paradise of mountains and lakes awaited her, and she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the medieval building in front of her.

It seemed smaller than Hogwarts, she thought, and less elegant, but the strong towers that were placed around it, gave the castle a unique and powerful appearance, like a defiant soldier prepared for battle.

A shiver ran through her and considered that, perhaps, she hadn’t prepared well enough to the hard weather of the place.

“Miss, the wand, please.” She turned to discover that someone was talking to her. “I won’t repeat myself…”

“Ah… the wand, yes.” She searched inside the layers of clothing and handed it to the insistent man that hadn’t bothered to look up at her. 

A tap on her shoulder made her turn around, but the only thing she saw was the end of a wand that pointed right between her eyebrows.

Before she could react, an odd sensation invaded her body, and she suddenly felt out of place. Just a second ago, she was stepping into the chimney of her home in Romania and heading to Grimmauld place.

“Is your name Katherine Williams?” asked woman hidden behind an opened roll of parchment.

“Y… Yes but…”

“And you were asked to join the Hospital Wing at Durmstrang institute as a healer, correct?”

“Yes…”

Kate looked around her and had to do a double check when several people, elves and some ghosts seemed to pour out of a carriage near her. Confused by the scene, she didn’t hear the rest of the questions she was being asked until she heard the woman clearing her throat.

She had rolled the parchment, revealing a woman whose grey hair hardly reached Kate’s chest.

“Welcome to Durmstrang Institute! You came here in that carriage and we had to obliviate you for security reasons.” The woman signalled to the side, showing that the same was being done to the other passengers of the carriage.

“I’m Astrid Rhode, headmaster of the school. Albus informed me you were coming today, and I wanted to greet you personally. Come on, follow me. Don’t worry about your belongings.”

Kate tried to keep up with professor Rhode’s quick strides. They crossed the bridge that connected to the castle before standing in front of the entrance.

Warmth flooded through her the moment she stepped in, and she let out a grateful sigh.

–

“I’m afraid there’s something we didn’t think of: I won’t be able to understand a word,” Kate admitted as she sat on an armchair in front of headmaster Rhode’s desk.

Astrid made a slight attempt at a grin and grabbed a flask that was placed to her right.

“Unlike your dear school, it is a necessity here in Durmstrang to provide translating charms in all of our classrooms, as we have teachers from around the world. Take three drops of this potion every week and you will be able to talk to anyone, everywhere.”

Kate grabbed the bottle and looked at her curiously before smiling.

“I’ve never heard of this kind of magic… It’s fascinating.”

“That’s because it relatively new and not all countries are promoting this strategy. Here at Durmstrang, we value every kind of magic the world has to offer.”

Kate bit her tongue and swallowed the urge to ask about muggleborns’ magic. She accepted the papers Astrid was handing her and opened the first file.

“Now to the real reason you’re here. I did a first selection: the professors of magical creatures, quidditch and divination are out.”

Kate studied the four files while the headmaster talked.

“What happened that made you suspect you may have a mole?”

“I’m picking up the pieces of Karkarov’s terrible management. It’s left a school where its rules are based on fear and harsh discipline, and many others think like him. I believe you are familiar with his story?”

“I know that Dumbledore trusted him. Can I keep these?” Astrid conceded with a wave of the hand, and Kate slid the files under her robes.

“Yes, well, you gain a friend and a free enemy in the process. I don’t think You Know Who’s followers liked his betrayal. He went into hiding last year, he is probably dead”

Kate crossed her legs and shook her head.

“I don’t understand…”

Professor Rhode stood up and paced the room. She looked like a caged jaguar, Kate thought.

“I accepted the position because of my devotion to the obscure side of magic, but I don’t want murderers running around the castle.”

Kate could tell she was carefully selecting her words: because of the way she avoided her look and shifted her hands from back to front.

“I know that some teachers agreed with his ideas. I want to know how far they can go.”

“Isn’t it just as simple as looking at their forearms?”

“None of them has a mark.” Those words, pronounced so dryly and with the only purpose of surprising, caused the desired effect.

Kate leaned in towards the desk when professor Rhodes sat down again. Anticipating her question, Astrid hurried to talk.

“Those people,” she started, pointing at Kate’s chest, “have been acting strangely since I replaced Igor… disappearing without explanations, cancelling classes, suffering accidents… Something is happening in this school and I want you to discover what it is.”

“Why me?”

“Why you, indeed. Well, Albus can be very insistent. He assured that you were trustworthy and had a special ability in discovering things. Also, you being a healer is a side benefit, we always need more around here.”

Astrid stood up again and walked to the door.

“Classes start again in less than a week, plenty of time for you to adjust. I’ll show you your room and then the castle if you’re not too tired.”

After climbing infinitely long stairs, they arrived at the very top of the castle. Definitely the darkest place of the building.

“At the end of that hallway, you will find your room. Right in front of it, there’s a bathroom.” Kate nodded and thanked her, before making her way to what it would be her new bedroom.

It was dark and gloomy, and a layer of dust covered practically every surface. Kate approached the window and opened the curtains, revealing a breath-taking view of the mountains and a lake so wide that could have been a sea. It was a beautiful place wherever she was. Looking down, she saw the monumental stone bridge that connected the castle to the forest. Although unlikely, if one happened to fall off it, they would meet the deep abyss under it.

She was about to open her trunk when she noticed a figure stepping out of the woods and cross the bridge to the castle. From the fourth floor, she couldn’t see who it was, as the person was covered in thick robes and a hat.

Feeling cold, Kate started to clean the room and prepare everything for her new job.

–

Astrid took a big key from her pocket and opened the wooden doors that were before them.

“This is the Events Hall, we host numerous duelling competitions, art exhibitions, conferences, the AEDA…” The place had some resemblance with the Great Hall of Hogwarts, without the dining tables. Big red curtains covered equally big stained-glass windows.

“What’s the AEDA?”

“Oh, that’s The Annual Exposition of Dark Arts: all the students are allowed to take part. In March we give a topic and they have until June to prepare something related to the theme. It’s held here, in this hall, and teachers give some prizes to the best ones.” Her voice was filled with pride, and it was clear that she was looking forward to it.

“Students are also allowed to experiment and train by themselves this is why we have empty rooms for them to study or practise, and also a high demand of healers.” She attempted to laugh at her joke and drew half a smile out of Kate.

She inspected the windows. Each of them represented medieval scenes of wizards in some kind of battle. Professor Rohde’s voice echoed when she spoke again.

“Let’s go, I’ll show you the hospital wing.”

They moved rapidly through the stone halls. She could feel the stares and the suspicious glances from those students that had stayed for Christmas, but she held her head high and pretended not to notice.

Astrid stopped in front of two grey doors with a symbol of a dragon curled up around a wand. She gestured her to enter and Kate complied.

It was noticeably bigger than Hogwarts hospital wing, Kate couldn’t help the comparison.

Big curtains covered equally big windows from where the sunlight was entering, hitting several bookshelves of untouched books.

Kate followed the illuminated dust that was floating and admired the large cabinet at the end of the room. A slim woman stood right in front of it, with her back to them.

“Miss Williams, that is Cassandra Steiner, head mediwizard. She will explain all you need to know about the healing system.”

Presumably overhearing her name, Cassandra Steiner turned around and marched towards them with apprehension in her face.

“I imagine this is the new addition?” Kate’s eyes couldn’t help travelling to Steiner’s chest, where a golden key was hanging around her neck. The healer quickly hid the key under her robes and pierced into Rhode’s eyes.

“Yes, we can always use some help, don’t you think, Cassandra?”

Kate extended her arm to shake Steiner’s hand, and she complied reluctantly.

“Kate Williams." 

"I guess we can always find use to two new hands. Can you start right away?”

Astrid interrupted Kate before she was able to pronounce a word.

“I arranged it for her to start on Monday.” She announced to both Cassandra and Kate.

“Now I’m going to the kitchens to see if I can find a goblet of good wine. Do you want to join me?”

“I think I’ll return to my room. I want to write a letter.” Answered Kate.

“You will find paper and ink on your desk.” Astrid was almost out of the door when she turned to look at Kate again.

“Welcome to Durmstrang, miss Williams.”


	2. Nerida Vulchanova

_Dear Charlie, 7 Jan ‘96_

_I arrived yesterday in one piece. I wanted to write just as soon as I got here, but you can’t owl anytime you want. They have a strict and very controlled system, and they are very protective of their owls. You can use the owlery as many times as you want during Sundays._

_The headmistress considered giving me a little more freedom in that regard, but I don’t want to tempt luck and make people ask why I have privileges._

_I will stick to their rules and only send letters on Sundays, and with their owls. Please do NOT send Whiskey here, and warn your family not to use Errol either, I don’t think they could survive the weather here and Durmstrang won’t like my using foreign owls._

_She assured me that the letters arrive within the day, so that’s good. They have a training program for the owls, but I saw them, and they are bigger than usual. Maybe a cross-species with a magical creature?_

_I am trying to convince the headmaster to let me use her fireplace from time to time to talk to you. I was told that this school uses spells to keep the place warm and protected from the snow, and they don’t use the fireplaces. Ever. I will have to be very careful, and I’m still trying to figure out how to be discreet._

_They obliviate you when you arrive. They say it’s because they don’t want the school to be found, so I expect to be obliviated after my return._

_They gave me a language potion! I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I will be able to talk to anyone. Can you imagine that? The possibilities? I would investigate how that magic works right now if I had time. Can you do me a favour? In the tower next to our house, where I work, I have a small blackboard with some notes. Can you write something in the lines of “translator charms” or similar? Just so I remember._

_Tomorrow I will start as a healer. You wouldn’t believe how big is the hospital wing! The headmistress, professor Rhode, told me it is common that students experiment by themselves and they have this room fully equipped for patients. Not even St Mungo’s have this quality. I wish I wasn’t in these circumstances, so I could explore the place with more detail._

_I know what I have to do if you know what I mean, but I still have to put everything in order and figure out how exactly I’m going to face the task. I have no idea where to start, and I will be anchored in the hospital wing, so I won’t have much freedom._

_Oh! I have a bedroom to myself on the top floor of the castle, and the views are breath-taking. You would love this place: the grounds, the mountains, the forest, and the lakes! I can see a ship from here, the one you told me they used to get to the Three Wizard Tournament last year, I believe._

_Things are going to be calm for now, classes start again in less than a week so there’s not going to be not much to tell the next days._

_I’m going to have lunch now and then get a map of the castle to be able to move around here._

_Love,_

_K_

With a kiss to the envelope, she handed the letter to the owl that hopped in circles in front of her. He chirped with excitement at his new quest and accepted the message before lifting into the air.

Kate leaned on the rail at the top of the owlery and admired the mountains. Her uniform was suited to the cold weather and let her enjoy the views.

The owl flapped its wings and disappeared through the low clouds that painted the horizon. She remembered Hogwarts and its owlery; how she used to spend many afternoons watching the sunset while the owls were still asleep. Even the not so pleasant smell of it had become something so familiar that she missed it when it wasn’t there. Kate’s smile vanished at the thought. There were too many things she wished that were there, but weren’t.

The whistling of an eagle caught her attention. She tried to focus on the bird, but it was flying in circles above the forest. She turned around and looked for an owl that wasn’t sleeping; she didn’t want to scare the poor thing.

She chose a horned owl that seemed curious about her movements and placed her hand in front of its beak to let it recognise her.

“Thank you, Professor McGonagall,” She drew her wand out and murmured “Strigiforma.”

A pair of opera glasses appeared in the owl’s place and she hurried to catch them before returning to the rail.

It wasn’t an eagle; it was a hawk. Kate didn’t know much about birds or their behaviour, but flying in circles above a certain spot didn’t seem very usual. Perhaps there was a prey in the forest, for it seemed riveted by the trees.

On its way back towards the owlery, the hawk seemed to advert Kate’s presence in the tower.

Faster than her eyes could register, the bird flew straight into Kate’s direction, only to change its course in the last second, passing over the roof.

Still confused with the events, Kate set the glasses on a nest nearby and turned them into its original form.

The owl scoffed indignantly and turned around to avoid her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” She rounded the nest and offered her hand as a peace offer. The owl looked at it and then away, keeping its head as high as possible.

“I will bring you some treats as compensation, I promise.”

–

Durmstrang Castle looked no smaller than Hogwarts from the inside. Kate managed to get to the library with great difficulty and had to suffer the taunts of some students when she asked for directions.

The library was a circular room, one of the towers, and was probably four stories high. Long tables occupied the centre of the room and each floor, visible from below, had small study areas.

Elegant chandeliers illuminated the place, but judging by the size of the windows, it would not receive much natural light throughout the day. This did not seem to bother the few people who were there. Perhaps they were used to the shadows, Kate thought.

Her attention was drawn to the golden, well-kept staircase upholstered with a red carpet that went up to the different floors with it. Just behind it, partially hidden behind black curtains, an empty table held the weight of more books than it should. It looks like my desk; she thought with a half a smile.

As she approached, she read the plaque propped up on one tower of books.

“If that book is not your thing, try to give the bell a ring.”

She scanned the place until she found a tiny bell hanging from the edge of the desk. With her index finger and thumb, she caught the string and hit it against the metal. Not hearing any noise, she tried again.

From the top of the tower, a bat hanging from one of the giant chandeliers broke loose from its resting place and plummeted to where Kate was standing. Flapping a couple more times, it flew over her head, causing her to jump. As it reached the desk, the bat changed shape, and a man dressed in an elegant black robe appeared.

“I heard you the first time.” He said with smiling eyes. “You don’t look like a student.”

“I am a new healer. Maybe you can help me, I’m looking for a map of the castle.” Kate looked at his face and could not help but feel a little envious; his skin seemed to glow, he had not a single wrinkle and his features were refined, almost translucent, as if made of glass. At first glance, it seemed that he was much older than Kate, but on closer examination of his features, it might have not been the case.

“Of course, I can help you. It’s my job.” A cloud of black dust appeared before her, and again the bat shot up. Kate followed its path up the first floor until it was out of sight.

After a minute, in which Kate shifted in her place several times, the sound of chains alerted her. She turned to the desk to find the librarian looking at her again. Her surprise must have been palpable, because the man snorted with amusement.

“Castles are particularly good at hiding secrets. Here, that’s for you.”

With a bow, he extended his arm and offered her a scroll. Kate went to accept it but held back before doing so.

“Am I allowed to borrow material?”

“I trust you will return it.” Kate nodded and accepted the scroll.

“I will. And thank you…”

“Corentin. At your service.” He said in a French accent before he turned into a bat one last time and flew to the lamp.

–

Kate went around every corner, every corridor and every room she could. She was able to recognise many of the places Astrid Rhode had shown her, and she discovered many more.

After a while, she entered what appeared to be a trophy room. Multiple shelves of medals and cups adorned the walls. Quidditch, duelling, and arts. It was clear that Durmstrang had taught many powerful and skilled wizards and witches.

At the end of the hall, a gigantic painting that occupied practically the entire wall showed a portrait of a woman. It stood still, unlike many of the paintings that decorated the corridors. Still, Kate felt as if her eyes followed every movement.

“Nerida Vulchanova.” She read on the plaque “Architect and founder of the Durmstrang Institute.”

“Remarkable woman, Vulchanova,” said a voice behind her back.

A woman with a complexion as dark as her robes and a shaved head observed her from an armchair in the shadows. When she stood up, Kate recognised her from the documents Astrid Rhode had given her.

“Mer Yankelevich. You may call me Mer.” She reached out her hand and Kate accepted it, trying her best to pretend she didn’t know her. “I teach charms. Haven’t seen you around here before…”

“Kate. I’m a new healer.”

She didn’t seem to care what Kate could say to her. She immediately turned her gaze to Nerida’s painting.

“Did you know that this castle could not stand without magic?” She made a dramatic pause that Kate found extremely unnecessary. She focused on the teacher’s mind and found arrogance and a strong feeling of superiority. She was gloating over her knowledge.

“The castle was built in the 13th century, and you can tell by its style and the size of its walls However, it has a peculiarity that no other building has. It can be seen right here in this room. Can you guess what it is?”

Kate watched as the long earrings Yankelevich was wearing seemed to wriggle with the question and a strange feeling invaded her body. She turned around, inspecting the room more closely.

Before she could make any comment, the teacher decided to speed up the conversation.

“Sometimes the things we are looking for are right in front of our eyes.” She went to the large windows behind Kate and leaned against the sill.

“When a wall is thick and low, it’s harder to knock down than a tall, thin one. Durmstrang Castle is only four stories high, and the walls are extremely thick, as you may have noticed. Their task is to support the castle.”

She touched the glass a couple of times with her razor-sharp long nails and smirked at Kate’s expression at the sound.

“It looks like it’s made of water.”

“That’s because none of the castle windows are made of glass. Nerida Vulchanova knew perfectly well that you can’t put windows in walls that support the entire weight of the vaults.”

Kate’s stomach jumped at the words. While she knew that her brother’s memories will always accompany her until the day she died, sometimes a word or a person could trigger the darkest parts of her mind. She had learnt to control it, and slowly but surely those memories hurt less than the day before.

Yankelevich reached for the handle and opened the window, letting in the cold wind of January.

“If these windows were made of glass and not magic, all the walls and ceilings would fall down. Fascinating, isn’t it? They are also soundproof.”

“Incredible, yes. Are you interested in architecture?”

“More than teaching, perhaps. I’m passionate about finding hidden places.”

“I’m sure Durmstrang is full of them.”

“What are you doing here, anyway?” The teacher walked to Kate again, her back to the portrait. “I mean, here, in the trophy room.”

Kate raised the map and was about to explain how she explored the castle afternoon, when sounds of a fight alerted them. They looked at each other and hurried to the door.

“Say that again! Say that again!” a boy, probably in his third or fourth year, shouted while he pushed another student backwards.

“Your Dad deserved it! You are just a bunch of blood traitors! You and your stupid family!”

Everything happened so fast, it looked like someone had pressed a switch and from one second to another, both students were on the floor trying to punch and kick each other.

Kate’s eyes widened at the sentence. She was left frozen in place, unable to react fast enough to the situation.

She saw how they managed to get up, but they were still fighting. Some other students came to enjoy the show and the corridor rapidly filled itself with deafening screams of encouragement.

Kate stumbled as she was being pushed further away from the wrestling.

The map slipped from her hand in the commotion and she struggled to get on her knees to find it. From the corner of her eye, she saw how something fled from somewhere among the crowd. A book?

“What the…” Kate murmured when huge black clouds covered the ceiling of the hallway.

Sounds of a storm right above their heads made everyone stay motionless in their spots.

“What, in Vulchanov’s name, is happening here?” Headmaster Rhode’s voice sounded as if she was holding a megaphone. However, her hands were raised, controlling the rumble and lightning of the storm.

With a wave, the clouds dissipated as well as the students that opened a path for her to walk.

Kate noticed the blood in one of the boys’ nose and tried to reach them, pushing aside the curious souls that didn’t want to miss Astrid Rhode’s fury.

“What do you think you are doing? Fighting like a pair of water demons instead of duelling like civilised young wizards. I’ll throw you myself in the lake if that’s what you want?”

A pair of ‘No, professor.’ bounced against the walls and echoed in the tense stillness of the place.

“Let me see the nose,” Kate ordered. After a quick examination, she drew her wand out before saying “Episkey”

The cracking noise made more than one student hiss.

“Now everyone out of here. I don’t want to see you. Prepare everything for the new term that’s starting in a few days. Go.”

The corridor cleared, and Kate noticed the book that rested on the floor. Before she could grab it, Mer Yankelevich bent down and took hold of it.

“Advanced guide for curse-breaking.” she read “Someone’s been inquisitive these holidays. I’m going to return this to Corentin, now.” she added, laughing.

Astrid nodded first at the teacher and then at Kate, adding a hidden meaning unknown for Yankelevich.

She couldn’t identify what Rhode was trying to tell her until the headmaster’s gaze shifted almost imperceptibly towards Mer Yankelevich’s back. Kate inhaled and crouched, pretending to tie more securely the shoelaces of her boots.

When the charms teacher rounded the corner, Kate darted after her, trying to jog, avoiding touching the heel to the ground.

She pressed her back against the wall, turned her head slightly to spy to the other side and observed how Yankelevich opened a door to another corridor instead of heading to the library’s direction.

Kate spent the rest of the afternoon considering Mer Yankelevich a procrastinator or a liar, inclining herself for the latter.


	3. Under Lock And Key

The possibility of being involved in another curse-breaking adventure had her uneasy. If that book ended up being an important part of her mission, she was ready to send a ‘thank you’ note to Dumbledore and teach herself how to ride a six-horse carriage back home. 

Mer Yankelevich had gone to her quarters and didn’t come out afterwards. Kate waited for her to leave or do something; she even dared to put her ear against the door. But the teacher never made a sound. 

Kate didn’t know what to do. For the first time in her brief career as a healer, no one seemed to need her. From what Astrid Rhode and Cassandra had said, in Durmstrang it was always necessary to have mediwizards to spare, yet her new companions appeared to want her out of the way…

Especially Cassandra Steiner.

She hadn’t bothered more than strictly necessary to explain the basics of her system and when she had finished; she disappeared from the infirmary without a word or warning.

“She does that a lot, don’t worry about it.” One of the healers had said. The others silently agreed, and no one paid much attention to Kate since.

With few students in the school, the hospital wing was practically deserted, except for a stomach-ache and a sprained ankle.

Kate spent that Monday morning going through the drawers and cupboards available to the mediwizards and memorising the potions and where they belonged, a task made laborious by her new uniform.

The uniform, though bewitched to stay warm, was heavy and rather cumbersome to wear. For her taste, it lacked pockets and had to keep her wand in her sleeve since she had nowhere to put it. A belt would not have been out of place either.

She approached a healer who was writing a label on a flask. “Can I ask you a question? Why is that cupboard closed? The one at the end of the room.”

The woman didn’t look up from the bottle and just answered her indifferently.

“Steiner’s orders. She always closes that cabinet.” She handed the newly labelled bottles to Kate.

“But… but why? What do you keep in there?”

“No one knows. More vials, I guess. Anyway, everything we need is in the other drawers. Can you take those potions to the cabinet next to the door?”

Feeling useful for the first time in the morning, Kate took the flasks to where she had been instructed and arranged them following Cassandra’s method. Meanwhile, the healer approached her with more flasks to place.

“If you need anything from there, ask Steiner. She has the key.” She began humming a song unknown to Kate, and it seemed to her that the woman had no idea what was hidden in that closet.

“I saw her take out a box once, but I don’t know what was in it…” A mediwizard who was making the nearest bed commented quietly. Kate came over interested and started helping him fluff the pillows.

“What did she do with the box?”

“She took it away. She does that a lot, going in and out… Get used to it.” He laughed. “Why did you come here in January, anyway? We start in September.”

“Oh, I’ve been doing another job. I joined Durmstrang at Astrid Rhode’s request. Apparently, I have good recommendations.”

She had prepared the answer. She had all Sunday to plan it. One thing her mother had taught her was how to lie telling the truth. It was a long answer, with details, and yet it didn’t even fully answer the question.

She felt guilty in doing so, but it wouldn’t be the last time someone would ask her that question, and it wouldn’t be the only thing she would have to lie about either.

“In which hospital?” She didn’t want to mention Romania. She really didn’t. That would lead to having to mention Charlie, and that wasn’t going to be a possibility.

Lucky for her, the doors to the infirmary opened wide, letting in a man in brown robes with a tray around his neck.

Kate and the mysterious man looked at each other, and his eyes, slanted and darker than coal, seemed to penetrate her thoughts.

She concentrated on his mind and tried to implement the tactics that Snape had taught her about occlumency. There was no sign of an external mind, which was good. Perhaps he had not tried to enter her mind, and his gaze was just that piercing.

“Is Miss Steiner here?”

It took Kate a few seconds to recognise him. Kent Jorgensen, potions teacher and the second person in headmaster Rhode’s papers.

She dropped the pillow that had in her hands and rushed to talk to him.

“No. She left an hour ago. Shall I give her a message?” Although Kate was taller than the average British woman, she needed to throw her head back to be able to look at him. He was much more intimidating from up close.

Jorgensen untied the rope around his neck, a gesture that revealed a tattoo of what appeared to be a snake or a giant reptile that occupied the entire right side of her neck.

She thanked Merlin when he handed her the tray and managed to suppress the need to clench her fists. She accepted it while the teacher followed his explanation.

“I am the trusted supplier,” he joked. “Miss Steiner has asked me for some potions missing from the inventory.”

The surprise must have been clear on her face because Jorgensen felt the need to explain himself. She had spent the morning checking the shelves, and none of the bottles were empty, and there were no gaps between them, indicating a missing bottle.

“I believe she likes to make sure there’s stock, in case of an emergency… Oh, excuse my manners: my name is Kent Jorgensen, I haven’t seen you around here until now…”

“Kate. I’m going to put this over there.” She lifted the tray slightly and turned his back as quickly as he could. Wishing her haste to be camouflaged by efficiency, she walked away to the locked cabinet and placed the tray on top.

She couldn’t confirm whether he was a legilimens. She experienced no signs except that she felt as if the man knew all her secrets.

As she turned around, she saw how he chatted animatedly with the boy who had the stomach-ache. Just then Cassandra Steiner walked through the door.

“Ah, Miss Steiner. I’ve brought what you asked for.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Kent.” Cassandra walked to where Kate was standing but didn’t bother to look at her.

“I’ve left the tray there, I can put…”

“No. I’ll take care of it.” Her tone was definite and dry. “Go to Mr Danchev, he’s been complaining of a stomach-ache.”

“I can help you…” The nostrils of Cassandra’s curved nose widened, and Kate took the hint. “Fine.”

There was no longer any trace of Professor Jorgensen, and the other mediwizards seemed to have lost their desire to talk as soon as Cassandra entered the room. The hospital wing remained silent for the rest of the day.

Kate noticed that Steiner hadn’t gone near the tray or the cabinet. Curiosity was killing her, but she kept her professionalism and didn’t insist on the subject.

The boy Professor Jorgensen was talking to had confessed to Kate that it was impossible to do anything in secret. Whatever was going on in the castle or the surrounding grounds, he knew. He had never told the headmistress if the students were skipping classes to go snogging at the quidditch field or if they were awake at night, but he never missed an opportunity to let the students know that he was aware of everything.

He also had mentioned that some students described him as ‘worse than a ghost’ and that every time you turned around; he would be there watching.

However, Kate didn’t come across him in the days that followed. In fact, any professor seemed interested in getting out of wherever they were. There were several times when Kate and Mer Yankelevich crossed paths while the teacher was leaving the library and Kate was on her way to the infirmary.

By Wednesday afternoon, Kate felt confident enough to return the map to Corentin, just as she had promised. He greeted her with a mischievous smirk.

“Honestly, I am surprised. I bet myself you wouldn’t come until tomorrow.”

Kate handed him the scroll with a shake of her head.

“How much have you lost? Many galleons, I hope.”

“Enough to leave a hole in my heart.” He took his hand to his chest dramatically, making her snort. “And in my pocket.”

Kate opened her mouth but closed it immediately, thinking it would be unwise to trust anyone. However, she couldn’t help feeling that Corentin was… special. He was mysterious, yes, but so was she in those circumstances. His mind was clear, and honest, so she respected his privacy.

“Well… I’m going now. Thanks for the map.” She hadn’t even turn around when she heard the librarian’s whisper.

“I have a feeling you want to ask me something.”

With her index finger, she caressed the engraving on Corentin’s desk. “It’s nothing… something I’ve been thinking about for a few days. Because of something I… read.” She hesitated and did so for so long that Corentin thought she had decided not to speak.

“What would you hide in plain sight?” She raised her head and kept his gaze. His eyes flashed back and forth, trying to decipher the origin of the question.

As the librarian thought of a response, Kate frantically searched for the answer to the question that never came.

“If I had to hide something in this very library, it would be a book.”

Something lit up in Kate’s head.

“And wouldn’t you feel the need to protect that book, even though you knew no one would find it?”

With one elegant wand movement, the mountain of books on the desk rose and the different volumes flew to their respective places. Corentin lined up the inkwell with the edge of the table before answering.

“That would make me look a little suspicious… unless no one questioned my behaviour.”

“Thank you, Corentin. That was helpful.”

The librarian bowed his head in response and smiled.

As she turned, she thought she saw Professor Yankelevich sitting next to a student.

Trying to hide her face from the teacher, she approached Corentin again and moved the curtain just so it covered them both.

“At least invite me for coffee first.” Kate huffed, amused at the comment, but recovered quickly.

“I need to ask you something else. Mer Yankelevich, do you know her?”

“Oh, yes. Comes here regularly. Practically lives on the second floor.”

Kate looked down and tapped her fingers against her thigh.

“And… and what’s on the second floor?”

“Second floor, from ‘c’ to ‘h’: conjuring, counterspells, curse-breaking, deceptive spells, divination, dream-interpretation…” he recited

“Did professor Yankelevich return a curse-breaking book?” Kate interrupted.

“I don’t remember her borrowing a book, in the first place. Everyone who wants a book must talk to me first. I remember every face and every book they take.” He tilted his head with pride and added: “I have an excellent memory.”

“Could you… check if the book is there?” Corentin frowned. She appreciated his patience and lack of questions, but it was clear he was getting frustrated. “I’m interested in the topic and I saw her with that book, Advanced guide for curse-breaking, and I thought I might read it when she is finished.”

“Oh, well, in that case…” Corentin smiled and in his bat form, fled to the second floor before returning to Kate.

As she expected, the librarian returned distressed and empty-handed.

–

The peace ended the next day with the start of school. The corridors were flooded with shouts, laughter and hustle and bustle demonstrating that Astrid Rhode’s rule was not as strict as that of her predecessor Igor Karkarov.

The disappearance of the former headmaster of Durmstrang worried Kate. It wasn’t something she had the time or the inclination to investigate, but it was a recurring thought in the back of her mind, like a motorcycle engine someone had left running.

Then there was Cassandra Steiner and her strange behaviour, though normal for those who knew her. The tray of potions was no longer where she had left it, and Kate assumed that her boss removed it when she was gone.

The mediwizard was not among the four folders that Director Rhode had given her to investigate, and Rhode trusted Cassandra, yet Kate knew that Death Eater or not, Steiner was hiding something. It would be better not to let her out of sight, even if it was complicated by her comings and goings.

Corentin was right: the best place to hide an object is right where it should belong. A book in a library or potions in a hospital wing. Kent Jorgensen mentioned that there was a high demand on certain potions, but Kate had been checking the bottles and none of them was empty.

If Cassandra was using potions outside the hospital wing, the question was: for what?

Kate looked out the window of the infirmary and contemplated the clouds travelling with the wind until they were out of sight. The school was prepared for the greyest days, lighting all the candlesticks and candles in the castle to illuminate the place.

You are an absolute idiot. You had the tray right in your hands and didn’t bother looking at the bottles.

While playing with the magic barrier that worked as a window, she thought about the situations in which she could find the other two teachers missing from the list, without raising suspicions. I can’t just start asking questions out of the blue, they’d know something is up, she thought.

And Yankelevich? She thanked Merlin for Corentin’s discretion, but she knew that sooner or later she was going to be in trouble with the teacher.

Sounds of voices celebrating brought her back to the present.

Two healers were playing rock-paper-scissors in one of the empty beds. Kate came over, curious.

“Ha! You’ve lost. Now I must beat Jordan and Rys, and I’ll be out.” said one of them.

“Out of what?” asked Kate, half laughing. “What have I missed?”

“Every year we hold a rock-paper-scissors championship among healers. The ultimate loser must go to the duelling classes,” said the other. “Hurry up, Williams, if you don’t participate, they’ll choose you.”

“Explain it to her properly, Derek,” interrupted the first healer. “The advanced duelling class is taught by Libor Marek, the best duellist in Europe, as I understand it. His classes can be a little… violent. He always asks for a mediwizard to be present so as not to waste time…”

“Last year it was my turn, I was unconscious for a week because of a spell that bounced. I don’t want to do it again.”

“It was three days, and you were fine,” he said with a roll of the eyes.

At that moment, Cassandra approached them and crossed her hands in front of her.

“Compete for the next class. The first one will be for Williams.”

“What?” said the three healers in unison.

“Miss Steiner, Williams is new here…”

“Precisely.” he addressed Kate. “It will serve you well as practice.” For some strange reason, Kate thought she wanted to get her out of the way. However, she had to investigate Libor Marek.

“When’s the first class, then?” Kate’s gaze involuntarily shifted downward as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Cassandra adjusted her sleeves quickly, but not enough to keep Kate from seeing the red marks that adorned her forearms.

Looking more closely, she noticed that her hands also had some scratches and scuffs.

“Tomorrow.” Before she could ask her another question, Cassandra turned around and went to the other side of the room, where she sat down to read some documents.

Kate went to the mediwizards who were playing a rematch. “Do I have to prepare myself somehow?”

The couple started laughing out loud between game moves. “Only mentally.”

They were still laughing as Kate walked away.


	4. The Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold lines are from the book Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

_“Come on, Charlie.” He stared at her for a moment and lowered his wand._

_“I don’t think this is a good idea…” Kate sighed and gripped her wand more firmly._

_“I need to see what your tactic is so we can improve it.” He pointed his wand at her again and she gave him a quick nod before counting from three to one._

_“Flipendo!” Charlie shouted. With a sudden movement, Kate raised her wand, and his spell bounced in the air. Violet sparks shot from her wand, but Charlie dodged them. “Stupefy!”_

_She cast a shield again, and the spell went back towards Charlie. He managed a clumsy “Protego!” And Kate used his distraction to disarm him._

_He was left staring at his wand that had got stuck in the mud. Kate grimaced sympathetically and waited for him to pick it up._

_“Think about your opponent and try to predict their movements. It’s easy with me, you know me. Think about earlier, the sequence of spells.” Charlie took a deep breath and stood in a combat position, “And square your shoulders, you are not taking care of a baby dragon, here. You are battling with the enemy.”_

_Charlie’s wand twitched slightly. He’s attacking again, she predicted. He attempted a non-verbal spell, but Kate managed to dodge it. Suddenly, Charlie started shouting a sequence of spells, forcing Kate to wave her wand frantically in the air and, to his disappointment, avoiding every single one of them._

_When he stopped, she shouted “Melofors!” And Charlie’s head got trapped into a giant pumpkin._

_Kate started laughing, and he raised his arms in a silent question. Between giggles, she mouthed “Finite” and his head went back to normal._

_“What was that for? How did you do that?” She approached him and took a few insides of the pumpkin off his shoulders._

_“I should have taken a picture. Never cast that jinx on you, you looked nice.” She reached up and messed with his hair. “Although with this orange locks I don’t think there’s much difference…”_

_He threw her a fake offended look and nodded defiantly._

_“Oh, it’s on now, miss.” Kate’s eyes twinkled, and a brilliant smile lit her face._

_“Yes! That’s the attitude. Come on, change of tactics. I don’t recommend you to cast a lot of spells at once, your wand will start doing funny things.”_

_He nodded, and they resumed their original positions._

_“Try doing something unexpected.” They pointed at each other and attacked at the same time. The spells collided in a shower of sparks._

_Kate attacked again, but he avoided it. A few Flipendos were shouted here and there before Charlie did what he was asked: something unexpected._

_He pointed at the ground, and suddenly the grass around Kate started growing too quickly to react. She couldn’t see anything from the grass cage she was trapped in, so she put her arms before her and pushed at the green barrier, fumbling forwards and almost losing balance._

_“Expelliarmus!” She felt her wand slip from her hand and followed its trajectory with her eyes until it landed by Charlie’s feet._

_After recovering from her astonishment, the corners of her lips curled up._

_“That was really good. Very creative.” He smiled proudly, picked up her wand and handed it to her._

_“I almost didn’t get it. Non-verbal spells are your thing.”_

_“I’m not sure if that’s helpful in a duel, but you’re getting the idea.”_

_“Charles! Katie! Dinner’s ready!” Mrs Weasley’s voice fell over them like a cube of iced water._

_“Let’s go inside before Mum catches us duelling in the backyard.”_

–

Real-life duels had nothing to do with the innocent performance of that day when Kate taught Charlie a few tricks. Especially not in Libor Marek’s advanced duelling class.

The man was stocky, so much that Kate thought that if someone bumped into him, they would fall to the ground on impact.

You could tell he’d been in a lot of battles. The skin on his face was tanned, but it had red and sunken areas. A slight beard covered many of the scars, but others, such as on his forehead or nose, gave him an even more frightening appearance.

Kate had been sitting in an armchair for an hour watching the different lessons that were part of the class.

Her coworkers were not kidding when they warned her of the violence in his classes. So far, a crack in the wall had occurred, a lamp had fallen, and several curtains had caught fire.

No one seemed to care about all this except from Kate who, from her seat, was cleaning up the messes that the teacher and his students were making in the process.

The class had begun normally; they practised on mannequins until Marek got tired and placed them in two rows facing each other. That’s when the actual problems started: slugs, flames, chains, petrified students or dancing around were some things Kate had to deal with.

She noticed his limp and how, thanks to it, his balance on his left leg was impeccable. He had boasted several times that he could beat anyone while standing on one foot only, and he had every right to do so, because his skills were admirable.

“Get in line. Let’s see what you’ve learned today,” he announced. It’s rare to see classes where lessons are individualised; it requires time and patience.

Nevertheless, Libor Marek spent a few minutes for each of his students and corrected at least one thing they were doing wrong.

Kate could not, or perhaps didn’t want to, pay attention to Marek’s mind, something Professor Snape would have reproached her for without hesitation. She had forgotten why she was there and at some point; she began to listen to the teacher’s directions and advice.

One of the students got into position.

“Don’t you dare cast a spell.”

The room became silent and Kate leaned forward in her chair.

“Does anyone know what will happen if he tries to knock down the mannequin?” Several murmurs echoed around the class, but no one dared to give an answer.

“He will fall,” Kate said, louder than expected.

All eyes fell on her, and she felt like a sniffler caught stealing coins. Libor arched an eyebrow.

“Elaborate.”

Kate stood up and pointed to the boy’s hand and traced the path of his wand.

“His arm is too high. The spell will bounce against the window in the opposite direction.”

The teacher squinted almost imperceptibly before stepping aside and waving for Kate to take his place beside the boy.

“A healer with space vision? That’s odd, to say the least. Please.”

She shook her sleeve and her wand slipped until she could grab it. She took a few steps and got into a duelling position.

“Don’t… move.” He stood right in front of the tip of the wand and asked his students to step aside.

“Steady pulse,” he turned his gaze to her feet and hummed “exact angle of the feet.”

He circled Kate, looking up and down at her.

“Upright position, but not tense.” He stood back and gestured towards the mannequin. “A simple banishing charm will do.”

Just by moving her arm, a bright white light shot out and hit the target, propelling it towards the wall.

“And also skilled in non-verbal charms. You had an excellent instructor. Did you study at Durmstrang? I don’t remember you.”

“No, at Hogwarts.” For some reason, he was surprised.

“I didn’t know that Hogwarts appreciated martial magic.” He waved his hand, and all the mannequins piled up in one corner. He stood a few feet in front of her.

“Tell me about your wand.” Kate tilted her head.

“That’s cheating, if we’re going to duel.”

“Who said anything about that?” Kate questioned him with her eyes and he answered with a half-smile before pointing his wand at her.

“I already know is spruce wood, though it might be pine. Slightly elastic, from the way you’ve tightened it when you cast the spell, and you know it very well, is it phoenix feather?”

Kate put the wand down and couldn’t hide her amazement. Meanwhile, Marek continued to speak.

“I also know that you are, or could be, good with wand-less magic. Your fingers, on your left hand, glowed just for a second.”

“You know all that at just one glance?”

“So it is phoenix feather. Interesting combination. Come on, let’s see what you can do. Best of three?”

Kate raised her wand again and took a deep breath.

“Why?” She just asked.

“I never miss a chance to find a new tough competitor. And if they’re inexperienced, they make the best disciples.”

Without warning, Marek cast several offensive spells that Kate easily deflected. He inspected her again and followed the assault.

He was quick and very agile; the minutes passed and Kate began to have difficulty keeping up.

The professor took action and began to move. She adjusted her position and followed his steps, keeping her distance and avoiding some students who, with the lack of space, no longer knew where to hide. When Marek sped up his steps, they seemed to dance.

“So you say you studied at Hogwarts…” he questioned. With a whip-like movement, Marek deflected his wand towards the group of students. Kate reacted in time and bent her entire body so that the counter-spell reached the area where they were.

The two spells collided and deviated until they exploded against the door which, being half-open, closed making a great noise.

“Time out!” shouted Kate before raising both hands. Marek looked at her curiously. “You fight me, not them.”

“Anything can happen in a duel. I teach them to be ready at any time, especially when they’re not fighting. They’re purebloods and I want the best, if a spell comes their way for watching flitterbys, they’ve asked for it.”

It was Kate’s turn to strike. Squeezing her wand, she discharged a series of jinxes to him.

They didn’t even tickle him. He avoided each of them without breaking a sweat.

“I see the indignation on your face. Is it something I said?” he roared. His challenging eyes glowed with amusement. “Ah, I see,” he began as he avoided Kate’s spells.

“You’re one of those who has sympathy for the mudbloods.” Kate stopped the assault. She took a couple of deep breaths to get her strength back.

“That’s an awful term. And this school is missing out on having wonderful witches and wizards.”

“Durmstrang admits just the best.” Marek initiated offensive spells again and moved around the room, forcing Kate to walk toward the mannequins.

“Do you test them to get in? To see their level?”

“It’s unnecessary.”

“Then it’s not a good system.” Soft murmurs from the students indicated their bewilderment, and their fear, at the direction the conversation was going. “Hogwarts accepts everyone equally.”

Marek laughed and shook his head.

“Ah, but that’s not quite true, is it? Would they let a wizard from Germany in? No? Maybe one who lives in Spain? For your beloved school, everything outside its radius doesn’t exist.”

Kate had lost her focus. That was clear to anyone who was watching. She lowered her wand slightly, and Marek took advantage of the slip.

“Oppugno.” He said it so casually that it didn’t seem like he was casting a spell.

The mannequins rushed to Kate, forcing her to turn around and hold them back with a protective spell.

Without her being able to see it, the professor waved his wrist and her wand shot out.

Before the mannequins could attack, Marek stopped them within millimetres of her. She turned and Libor levitated her wand towards her.

“One-nil, by my reckoning.” He said, raising an eyebrow.

Kate conceded with a nod of her head and got into position again.

“I hope your friends won’t intervene again.” She commented by pointing her thumb behind her back.

“Professional advice: don’t expect anything from anyone.”

The rain of sparks began again, moving the students across the room so they wouldn’t get hurt.

Kate ducked just in time to dodge for two jinxes. One of them bounced against the window and hit one of the lamps, which fell in between them.

Marek caught it in the air and pulled it back up, fast enough to protect himself from Kate’s spells.

A red beam shot from Marek’s wand, and Kate’s eyes widened.

She shielded herself a little awkwardly from the fright and called another time out.

“I have not agreed to unforgivable curses.”

“Irrelevant. You know them well without even saying the word, and you have protected yourself. What is the problem?”

Kate didn’t answer. This time she started the offensive.

“Back to the subject: I’ve known brilliant Muggle-borns who’ve taught me many things, and purebloods who’ve taken years to learn a basic spell.”

Marek rolled his eyes and started walking around the room while dodging hexes.

“They are a hindrance. They take up the space of those who really deserve it.”

“Just like that? Would you get rid of all the Muggle-borns?”

Marek halted and raised his arms. His expression was aggressive, and Kate could see he was upset.

“Don’t change my words. I don’t want to kill Muggles. I just teach genuine witches and wizards.”

“And what are Muggle-borns but witches and wizards?”

“They are remnants. Remains of a true wizard ancestor. They’ll never live up to the potential of someone whose family is full of magic.”

Kate changed the direction of movement and turned the other way. He watched as Marek was absorbed in his thoughts, not even paying attention to Kate’s spells. He had grown accustomed to her tactics and was moving by inertia.

It was time to do something unexpected.

Concentrating all her power in the palm of her hands, she gestured as if she was grabbing a handful of air and pulled.

With the aid of her wand, the heavy curtains that were once tied with ropes were lifted to stand between them.

Marek cut them in half and freed himself before the cloth could trap him completely.

He arched his eyebrows in recognition, but Kate was staring into her palm, where a spiral of golden shimmering was disappearing beneath her skin.

She had never done anything like that before.

“Worst of all, the proportion of the wizarding population that is muggle-born is increasing as pure-blood families shrink in number. They have become a plague.”

Kate snapped her head up and gave him a half-smirk.

“You’ve just admitted that they’re part of the wizarding population.”

“What…?” As the professor registered what he had just said, Kate used his confusion to expel the wand out of his hand.

“Draw, by my reckoning.”

They got into position for the third time when the sound of bells indicating the end of class echoed throughout the castle.

Holding her gaze, Marek dismissed his students.

“I hope you have learned something from this meeting. You may leave.”

Slowly, the girls and boys present approached the door without taking their eyes off the two duellists. The door opened, but no one wanted to leave. They stood at the entrance of the room watching the show and wondering who would win.

“I believe, Mr Marek, that if you put aside your prejudices, your world would become a little less dark.”

“You are in Durmstrang, young lady. Everything here is darkness.” With one last wave of the wand, Kate took a blow to the chest and ended up on the floor.

She sat there, trying to pretend she wasn’t massaging her right buttock.

The professor limped over and extended a hand that Kate accepted.

“Good duel. You’ve been a tough competitor. There are things to polish, but you could easily enter a duelling championship.”

She stood up in pain and shook her head.

“I’m not interested.” She looked down at Marek’s knee and gathered the courage she needed before she spoke. “May I ask what happened? With your leg, I mean. Maybe I can help you.” He just huffed.

“There’s no cure for this, I’m afraid. Certain curses leave a mark forever.”

–

Kate stood at the owlery waiting for a letter from Charlie.

The little owl that she had turned into binoculars was already more comfortable with her and, after some treats, had already forgiven her for the incident.

She had a lot to think about in the days following the duel with Libor Marek. Despite everything the professor had said, there was something in his attitude that made her think he wasn’t a murderer.

An internal conflict arose as she considered the contempt with which he had spoken of the muggle-borns, a characteristic value of a Death Eater.

“But many people think like him, don’t they?” she caressed the owl’s beak with her knuckle and sighed.

His honesty presented a problem. A problem with a clear and effective solution. However, it was premature to reach any kind of conclusion.

“And furthermore, he said he would not kill Muggle-borns.”

Her new friend tilted its head and watched her carefully.

“I guess you’re right.”

The promised owl arrived with a letter and a newspaper, which she kept inside her uniform and pressed against her chest on her way to her room. She had to keep her head down so that the smile she was unable to contain wouldn’t be noticed.

That smile faded as she read the Daily Prophet’s lines.

**“An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps.”**

“That’s rubbish!” she exclaimed, throwing the article entitled **MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN** on her bed.

Furious, she grabbed paper and quill and began to write a letter to Tonks asking for explanations, before stopping short.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” She rested her elbow on her desk and put her forehead on the palm of her hand. Dumbledore had said that the least amount of people should know about her whereabouts. Least of all someone from the Ministry.

With a sigh, she crumpled up the scroll and turned to look at the article again. The image of a witch twisted into a scream drowned out by the paper.

“Bellatrix Lestrange.”

She took her wand and suspended the newspaper in the air before creating four clean cuts around the article.

She opened the closet and rummaged through her things until she found a notebook she had hidden.

She turned the pages containing the documents about the four teachers she was to investigate: Mer Yankelevich, Libor Marek, Kent Jorgensen, and Leron Angelov, whom she had not met.

Kate kept turning pages with notes and those same names under a code until she reached the first empty space, where she placed the cut-out article.

After noting the date, she wrote down on the next page her observations about Professor Marek.

She was aware of the danger of keeping a diary with all this information, but she had to tell someone everything that was going on, and neither Charlie nor Rowan could provide that help now.


	5. Reputation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING** : mentions of blood and wounds (marked with *)

Kate opened her eyes and stared directly at the ceiling of her room. She blinked several times and her eyes got moist with fatigue.

She stood up lazily, and with one eye she looked at the clock on the desk. She still had an hour to prepare.

Standing on the cold stone floor, she stared at the dim light coming through the window. The previous day’s duel had left her exhausted and in pain, and she hadn’t slept a wink all night.

With a determined sigh, she put her robe over the T-shirt she had stolen from Charlie and her slippers and ventured down the corridor to the toilet.

Her image in the mirror reflected perfectly how she felt: in misery. She was tying her hair up when she heard voices coming from the corridor.

“I find it outrageous! You have no right to do this!”

“I have every right, ma’am. In fact, it’s my job. Who’s staying in this room?”

Kate’s eyes widened, and she walked as quietly as possible to the door.

“One of our healers. I tell you that man is not here, and this is an invasion of privacy. The British Ministry can’t do this, let alone without notice!” Astrid Rhode’s voice could be heard through the castle.

She heard a knock on her door and held her breath. Three knocks again.

“Department of International Magical Cooperation, open the door, please.” Kate instinctively covered her mouth with her hand. That was her father’s department.

The two options she had were equally bad: she could go out and be recognised by her father’s partner, compromising her situation, risking her father’s involvement; or she could not go out and have to face exactly the same situation later.

Resigned, she sighed and opened the door to the hallway. “Forgive me. Is there a problem?” she asked in the sweetest voice she could manage. A man in a suit practically wanted to break down the door to her room.

She held her breath, waiting for the man’s reaction, but his expression remained unchanged.

“I have a search warrant for Durmstrang Institute: search and capture the Death Eater known as Igor Karkarov.”

“I understood that the charges were dropped.”

“Things are changing. The door, please.”

“And you are?” Kate was trying to retain him as long as possible while she thought of how to keep him from finding her diary.

“This is unnecessary and insulting.” Rhode added.

“My name is Cyprus Raynott. The door.”

She gestured with her hand and shook her head. “It’s open.”

Kate and Astrid Rhode shared a look behind his back and followed him into the small room.

“Can you claim that it has been ransacked?” Raynott looked around. At one glance, he had already covered the whole space.

“Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t informed that I would be receiving visitors.” She tried to get him to see her accusatory look, but he didn’t pay attention. He pushed her aside and opened the cupboard wide.

Kate’s breathing quickened, but she managed to conceal it. She saw him touching the inside walls, looking for a secret compartment.

“Homenum revelio.”

The room fell silent, and after a while Raynott nodded.

“Everything seems to be in order.”

“In that case, get out of here. Please know that I’ll make a formal complaint to the British Ministry soon.” Astrid left the room, followed by Raynott and Kate.

“I have yet to inspect the rest of the rooms and the kitchens.”

She walked up to a painting at the end of the corridor and knocked with her knuckles.

“Sir Wedgwood, would you accompany the gentleman?”

A ghost of a man in armour came out of the painting and floated down the stairs.

“Hurry, Mr Raynott. He despises waiting.”

When they lost sight of the ministry’s employee, Astrid approached Kate with a worried expression.

“Be careful, my dear. I didn’t like this at all.” She gestured in circles, referring to the situation they had just experienced. “No one can get here unless we send the carriage for them.”

“And you think someone from Durmstrang brought it here on purpose?”

“It is possible.”

“But… why? And if they’re looking for Karkarov, why send just one person? He’s not even an auror…” Astrid shrugged and shook her head before she left as well.

–

The snow crunched under her feet as she walked. February came as quickly as the icy mountain blizzards that had left the landscape covered in white the night before.

The visit by the Ministry’s employee had left a strange aura of insecurity throughout the school. Although Astrid Rhode called a meeting specifying the reasons for the visit and reassured those present that it would not happen again, the idea that the former headmaster might be lurking around left everyone uneasy.

The story of their former teacher as a convict was not unknown to the students and that he had been a Death Eater was an open secret.

Wearing a thick scarf and gloves, Kate ventured to the entrance of the forest, where there was a path leading to the nearest lake.

Although it was perfectly marked, she enjoyed getting lost in the trees from time to time, while keeping her eyes on the castle.

Lunchtime was the ideal moment for a walk around the castle grounds; everything was quiet, and that allowed her to reflect in silence.

The lake appeared before her, stretching out to the horizon and disappearing into the mountains.

She adjusted her scarf up to her nose when a gust of wind wanted to cut her skin.

She walked carefully to the edge of the lake and admired the view. There will also be a giant squid here?

She couldn’t help but laugh at the thought and considered that probably many other creatures were moving under her feet.

“Ah! The new healer! I didn’t expect to find you here” Kate turned to meet Professor Kent Jorgensen face to face. She had not even heard him approach. “I see you’ve found my favourite spot.”

He gave her a charming smile, letting her see all the white pearls he had.

“I admit the view is wonderful. Well, the entire place is breathtaking.” Without the chaos and noise of the infirmary, Kate was able to concentrate on his mind this time, unlike the first time they’d met. No one wanted to come in. Everything was calm and peaceful, although she sensed worry and anxiety, but she didn’t dare say it wasn’t her own.

“Right? I think so too.” He threw his head back and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. Aren’t his lungs freezing? She thought. Jorgensen turned to look at her.

“If you wished to be alone…”

“Uh, no, no.” Although she would have preferred that the professor’s keen eyes were not on her at any time, she had to take advantage of the situation and try to question him. “It’s okay.”

“So a new healer,” he started by putting his hands behind his back “will we have the pleasure of having you for a long time?”

“I guess it will last the duration of the contract.” She could only say. The truth was: she didn’t know the answer to that question.

Jorgensen laughed before nodding. “Yes, it usually works like that.”

“What brought you to Durmstrang?”

“Oh, it’s a long story. The story of a lifetime, in fact. I was born in Germany, but I remember little about it, I was very young when we went to my real hometown, Panay,” Kate questioned him with a look.

“Philippines. My mother, a wonderful woman, taught me everything she knew about potions. I want to implement some of them to my lessons, you know? I’m waiting for the headmistress’ approval.”

He stared at the lake but his mind was elsewhere, Kate could feel it.

“When I finished my studies there, I wanted to see the world and learn as much as I could in the shortest time possible. And then I wanted to teach. To teach everything I knew, what I had seen. Durmstrang was the only school that accepted me.”

The professor sighed deeply and addressed Kate, intending to change the subject of the conversation.

“And where are you from?”

“Well, that’s complicated. I was born in London.” Jorgensen nodded.

“But that doesn’t mean anything.” He looked at her with a knowing smile.

Kate wondered how far she should go to expose information about her, but she thought that if she did not open up, it would be difficult for them to trust her.

“I have a lot of Irish blood. And I’m tempted to say I am, even though I’ve never been.”

“Ah, that explains a lot of things…” Kate took an imperceptible step back and looked at him inquisitively. 

“Libor explained to me what happened in his class. Irish magic is characterised by its wand-less-ness. It’s part of you.”

She was about to answer when she saw the tattoo on his neck again, which appeared from under his clothes. Thinking she would follow the same conversation, Jorgensen added.

“Your nationality is not determined by the place you were born, but by where your heart resides.”

“What is… what is that on your neck? What does it represent?” He touched his neck automatically but didn’t say a word. A heavy silence fell between them.

“I have always been curious in nature.” She insisted.

“Some say it’s a giant snake, I like to think of it as a sea dragon. Are you familiar with dragons?”

Although the cold had already made her nose pinker than usual, she knew her cheeks matched now, judging by the warmth she felt on her face all of a sudden.

“So… who’s the lucky one?”

“Excuse me?”

“You have the look of someone who’s in love… and no one kisses an envelope for a mere friend… a relative, perhaps, but unlikely. I’m a romantic, but don’t tell anyone; I have a reputation to uphold.”

Kate stared at him for a long time until she realised.

“Are you a hawk?” He nodded with a bow.

“Why did you attack me?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to. I’m Professor Rhodes’ eyes and ears. When I make the rounds in the woods, to make sure everything’s in order, I don’t like students hanging around. When I saw you in the infirmary, I realised my mistake.”

“Are you… Astrid Rhode’s confidant?”

“Yes, for years.”

“How many years?” He looked at her, suddenly suspicious.

“It’s a healer’s thing, I guess… always asking questions.” He tried to laugh but only made the atmosphere more tense. Not even Libor Marek managed to create that feeling of insecurity. Maybe it was his look or the fact that she was fifteen minutes away from the castle with no one around.

“I can’t blame you, I’m just like that too, I love to gossip, but don’t tell the other teachers, they won’t want to talk to me anymore!”

“It’s Bakunawa. A kind of god that was responsible for eclipses of the sun and moon.”

“I had it done when I was very young, more so than you even. When I first saw a sea dragon, I was mesmerised… they are majestic.” He laughed again before suddenly getting serious.

“Long, long ago,” he began with a dramatic hand gesture, “the Earth had seven moons and humans and creatures lived in peace,” Kate was confused by the beginning of the story but let it continue.

“In a village by an enchanted lake, the Bakunawa fell in love with a human girl in one of the native tribes. The head of the tribe found out about their affair and had its home destroyed. Blind with anger, tried to take revenge by eating all the 7 moons.”

“When he was about to eat the last one, God punished the Bakunawa by banishing it from its home away from the sea. That’s the story I liked best as a child.”

He rummaged through the layers of his robe and pulled out a dagger. Kate took several steps backwards but stopped as she slipped on the ice. After regaining her balance, her panicky expression was still there even though the teacher hadn’t tried to stab her.

“It was a gift from my mother.” He handed her the dagger so she could hold it by the handle. The hilt was carved with the same dragon he’d told her about, along with an inscription she couldn’t read.

“It means that no matter what you do, you will always find your way back home.” He paused and winked, “Not even if a God rips you from it.”

He retrieved his dagger and lifted it into the lake. Kate watched as the dragon on the hilt unscrewed and jumped into the water, plunging into the depths. As she bent down, a silvery mantle covered the entire surface of the lake.

Different flashes flew up and down, readjusting and twisting in the water, forming figures above it. Kate looked at the scene; the water itself was forming figures from the sky, planets, stars, and constellations.

“Muggle mythology exists to explain what has been seen and not understood. What they were clear about is that Bakunawa can, and does, predict natural phenomena, such as eclipses. Very useful in the potion industry and in… well, it’s always useful.”

“The more time I spend here I realise,” she began in wonder, “how much there is to discover and know.”

“Durmstrang is not a magic school for teaching sorcery. But because it teaches you to want more.”

The silver cloak of the star map disappeared from the water as quickly as it came, and the little steel dragon jumped out of the depths to curl up again on the little dagger.

A “pop” sound was heard from behind. The two of them turned and found a man wrapped in a thick cloak and a matching hat. Kate recognised the man as Leron Angelov, professor of transfiguration.

She had long wondered how she could get a word with the professor or at least cross his path, never thinking he would appear to her out of the blue at the least expected moment.

Leron Angelov, directly transferred from a school of sorcery in Melbourne and, according to the documents, an expert in the four branches of transfiguration.

“Ah! My good friend,” Jorgensen began. “Enjoying a walk?”

Angelov went over to where they were standing and Kate could see his face better under his hat. A hat, she thought, matched the one she saw the day she arrived. His complexion was pale and red around the eyes. He looked ill. Before she could ask him about it, he interrupted her.

“Where’s Cassandra?” His voice was hoarse and tired, as if he had not spoken for a long time.

“I haven’t seen her today. What time is it?” answered Jorgensen. He took a pocket watch from his cloak and nodded. “She should be on her way to the hospital wing.”

“In that case, so am I.” Kate added.

“Let’s go back to the castle together.” Angelov was not enthusiastic about his coworker’s proposal, judging by the grunt he made.

“How’s your son, Leron?” Jorgensen inquired. The answer was a brief “well” that was barely heard. However, Jorgensen dazzled them with an enormous smile.

“Brilliant boy, that Micael. Eleven years old and he’s practically ahead of me in my class, already.”

The walk back to the castle was uncomfortable for everyone. One didn’t have to be legilimens to know that. Leron meandered behind them. Kate turned several times but was interrupted by Jorgensen’s animated mood to talk about the weather or potion ingredients.

“So you can apparate here?” Kate preferred to keep her voice low, for some reason unknown to her.

“Oh, yes, but only outside the castle. Cassandra! We were wondering where you were!” At the beginning of the bridge, Cassandra was looking into the forest with her arms crossed and was startled upon hearing her name.

She saw Leron stagger behind them, and with a determined step, she approached. “I have to talk to you.” Kate didn’t think the mediwizard even acknowledged her.

“Not now, Cassandra.” Leron shook the hand that she had placed on his arm and reluctantly walked to the bridge. Steiner was hot in the heels.

Kate watched their backs as they moved away towards the main gate and found it very interesting that Professor Angelov was looking for Cassandra and then seemed to want to get rid of her.

“He’s not a man of many words, though compared to me, anyone seems quiet…” Jorgensen laughed at his own joke and advanced across the bridge. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yes… yes, although I should go to my room first. I have to untangle my hair, I don’t know why, but the cold ruins it tremendously.” Although it was true, Kate needed to go upstairs and write the recent information that had just been presented to her.

“I think I can be of help to you. I can brew a perfect potion for that.” Before Kate could decline the offer, Kent Jorgensen had already walked away with long strides and whistling an unfamiliar tune.

Before she reached the main staircase, however, she turned to see if she had just heard her name.

“Miss Williams!” To her left she found Mer Yankelevich waving her black cape behind her. She got so close that Kate had to step back to defend her personal space.

“I thought,” she whispered, “I should tell you this, since you’re new…”

“I’ve been here almost a couple of months…”

“Still, I must warn you. Don’t go near Kent Jorgensen. I’ve seen you two talking and he can’t be trusted. He can be very manipulative.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Although she didn’t trust the teacher, she had to remind herself that, as Professor Sprout said, ‘Sometimes a pleasant appearance hides a great danger.’

The charms teacher went on her way upstairs without looking back. Kate sighed deeply and climbed two steps before being stopped again.

“Williams. Where do you think you’re going?” Cassandra Steiner’s firm voice made her close her eyes briefly before turning around a second time.

“I was going to…”

“Don’t. We have an emergency.” Kate frowned and followed Cassandra through the corridors. “Some sixth graders have taken the headmistress’ warnings seriously and have been duelling in the west courtyard. In the column, you know, typical.”

“I don’t follow you, is that a meeting point or…?” She chuckled nervously at the fact that people were meeting in a particular column to fight.

“On the Grindelwald’s mark, of course.” Kate had too many questions and not enough time, so she chose the first one that came to mind. She would bother Corentin with the column issue another time.

“Is Professor Angelov feeling well? I saw his face, his eyes were watery.”

“His wife died some time ago. He’s still not over it.” She just said.

*

When she arrived at the infirmary, the scene before her was little more than grotesque; in all her career she had never seen teenagers get such injuries, it was clear that Libor Marek was not only teaching them ‘Flipendo’.

“Help me with this section.” The group of seven boys had wounds all over their bodies that would not stop bleeding. One of them confessed in tears that he had tried to use the Cruciatus curse on one of his classmates and begged not to tell the headmistress.

Attending to each of them was a long and exhausting process, despite having ten perfectly trained mediwizards. The cuts were small, as if made with sheets of paper, but they did not stop bleeding. 

Some mediwizards tried several potions, some others proved with spells, but the cuts and the desperation were getting deeper and deeper.

After what seemed an eternity, the boy nearest to Kate confessed to having cast the curse. Immediately, the wounds stopped.

Kate blinked several times and let go a shaky breath as she saw the pain subsiding. She raised her forearms to avoid touching anything with her hands full of blood and Cassandra went to one of the bookshelves.

“What book did you get the idea from?” She asked him.

“I don’t… I don’t know. It was on Professor Yankelevich’s desk. We’ve been studying curses. It was a green book.” He turned his head in shame and Cassandra rummaged through the copies she had until she found a moss-coloured one.

“Haemophilia Curse or The Bleeders Curse, creates cuts on the victim that won’t stop bleeding. The only counterspell or breaking curse known is the admission of the creation of the spell. The bleeding lasts indefinitely otherwise.”

“Did you know that?” Kate snapped, but the boy just shook his head with his eyes closed. Turning to Cassandra, she added, “What else is in there?”

Cassandra huffed and went to the last page. “First half seems to be curses on objects, like mirrors, walls, cupboards… second half is about curses on people.”

She closed the book with a loud snap, “Don’t even understand why would you teach this, really.” She added with a roll of the eyes.

Kate suppressed her desire to comment on how she doubted Yankelevich was using that for her class and simply said, “I’m going to wash my hands.”

Cassandra nodded and dismissed her with a vague gesture. From afar, she heard her comment “Libor will be thrilled with this.” She wanted to believe with all her might that it was an attempt at a poorly executed sarcasm, but thought with horror that it was probably the truth.


	6. Carved In Stone

Repressing the urge to lie down on the floor, Kate walked down the hall until she found the bathroom. With her hands still bloody and in the air, she turned and pressed on the door to open it.

“And my sister told me that Professor Hodges had twisted her ankle.”

“How? She never moves her butt out of her chair…”

“No idea, she tripped, I don’t know…”

The voice of some girls in the cubicles echoed through the tiles. Without paying attention to them, Kate set out to wash her hands of the blood.

“Nicolaj told me he saw Professor Angelov floating.”

“I’m telling you, that boy will make anything up as long as you pay attention to him.”

The two students opened the doors of their respective cubicles and were startled by Kate’s appearance. They rushed out so they wouldn’t be associated with the girl with blood all over.

In the last hour before nightfall, when the sky was still orange, the clock in the hospital wing struck three thirty-four in the afternoon.

The moon lit up the corridors of the castle each day, but its light was so weak that a large number of candlesticks, candles, and lanterns were needed to prevent students and teachers from being subjected to the utmost darkness.

With still some time to spare before her longest shift, she walked with determined steps to the library. The events of the previous day added to the lengthy list of unanswered questions and headaches.

That morning had begun with a sigh and a desolate and almost deserted feeling that she could not shake. Knowing that she wouldn’t regain her strength in Charlie’s arms increased her melancholy.

She waited for Corentin to come down from his guard post while she traced the silhouette of her dragon necklace through her clothes. When a black cloud appeared before her, she smiled.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Corentin’s reassuring voice returned some of the spirit that had quickly been wasting away.

“Hello, Corentin, I’m looking for a place. A courtyard in the west wing of the castle. Could you direct me to it?” The question seemed to interest him.

“Any particular reason?”

“The mark of Grindelwald.” Corentin blinked slowly and remained unmoved by the statement.

With a decisive sigh, he took his right hand into a breast pocket and with his thumb and index finger pulled a small chain attached to a watch.

“If you wait an hour, I will accompany you myself. We can have a cup of tea.” Kate pursed her lips and shook her head.

“I’ll take a rain check, I have a shift in the infirmary until midnight.”

She kept her eyes on him for a few moments before he let out a long sigh. Nodding, he said, “Wait here.”

The bat flitted around the tower until Kate lost sight of him. Her gaze settled on the now empty table where weeks before he had seen Mer Yankelevich study. She made a mental note to ask Corentin about the missing book.

Kate turned to find Corentin waiting for her at the door, one hand behind his back and the other clutching his wand, both sheathed in black silk gloves.

His friend’s steps, though short, gave him a speed that forced Kate to trot after him.

“Corentin, we don’t have to do this now…” She practically bumped into him when he stopped short.

“You opened my eyes that day when I discovered a book was missing. Strange things have been happening, I want to say since you arrived, but looking back, the school has long been out of place.”

Kate looked at him, panting. She had to keep up with him not only with his step, but with his words as well. Seeing that she was saying nothing, Corentin continued after looking around briefly.

“I don’t know where you come from. Nor who sent you. I only know that you want to know what is going on. That’s enough.”

Not knowing what to say, Kate resorted to the most used phrase those days “I’ve always been very curious…”

“No. Not this time.” He raised an eyebrow and lowered his chin, hoping some other truth would come out of her mouth. Kate sighed in a leap of faith.

“I can only tell you that’s what I’m here for.” Corentin nodded sharply, and he headed for a narrow door behind him.

He pointed his wand upwards, and a black umbrella extended above his head. He pulled on the handlebars and ventured outside.

Kate closed the door behind her and followed Corentin down some stairs to the frozen grass of the grounds at the back of the castle.

“I have to ask,” he said, “what do you know about Grindelwald?”

They turned right onto a narrow path that ran along the walls of the building. To their left, the mountains rose imposingly to the sky. A little further down, Kate glimpsed people floating in the air, coming and going on their broomsticks.

“Enough… do you remember? He studied here, didn’t he? Is that the quidditch field?” She held her hand to her forehead, protecting herself from the sun’s reflection. Corentin stood beside her and moved his umbrella, effectively giving both of them some shade.

“Yes. It lies between those two mountains.” He pointed to the path with his hand behind him, revealing a book. He turned around, kept walking. “How old do you think I am?” he said over his shoulder.

Kate caught up with him, and they kept strolling together. “You don’t look a year older than 300.”

“Stick to healing, as a comedian you leave a lot to be desired.” He gave her a sidelong glance that Kate didn’t see. She just pursed her lips, trying to prevent a smirk.

“I remember Gellert, yes. Charming boy. I don’t know at what point he twisted… maybe when he got expelled.”

“Why was he expelled?”

They came to a covered corridor, decorated with large columns and huge doors that connected with the castle.

Once in the shade, Corentin waved his wand, making the umbrella disappear, and continued to advance through the gallery.

“For knowledge is dangerous. Where is the limit? How far are we willing to go to discover the mysteries that exist? Grindelwald didn’t believe in limits, but the school was one of them.”

They stuck to the wall, letting a group of students go through one of the doors. “Goodbye, Corentin!” cried a girl in the crowd. Corentin smiled and bowed, returning the greeting.

“They call it a courtyard, but you see that it is really more like an open-air corridor. Let’s continue, we’re almost there.” They kept walking until he halted again.

“Grindelwald was conducting experiments that endangered not only himself but everyone in the school. More than once, his adventures ended in disgrace. That was the action of a 16-year-old boy, who, drunk with contempt, wanted to leave a remembrance.”

He pointed to the pillar immediately beside them, and Kate bent down to inspect it. She traced the triangular symbol with her finger, and part of her was disappointed to see that nothing was happening.

“The actual mark, and the most devastating one, was the one he left in the hearts of thousands of people years later. He carved them with the darkest magic there is… hate. He destroyed and annihilated everything that stood in the way of his quest for power. And suddenly, when he succeeded, he used that power to create what he called, ‘the new order’.”

Kate sat on a stone bench without losing sight of the symbol.

“He wanted to overturn the International Statute of Secrecy, justifying his evil with the phrase ‘For a Greater Good’. I think he repeated it so much, he ended up believing it.”

They were silent for a while. Kate was processing the fresh information at a speed Corentin couldn’t even imagine. All one could hear in the background was the murmur and the footsteps of the children walking around.

“A dangerous phrase, that one.” He said at last. “Despite Nerida Vulchanova’s efforts to create a safe and united space for everyone, it cracked the unity of the school, until it became what it is now.”

“I just don’t… I don’t understand.” he snorted. “How could anyone do such a thing? Power. Power! What do you want that for?”

“I fear whoever has the answer.” Kate sighed and looked up at Corentin.

At that moment, Libor Marek passed in front of them and, recognising Kate, made a brief gesture with his head without stopping, not giving her time to reciprocate.

“I remember reading about the attacks on Europe. How with one massacre after another he gained more and more followers. The sad thing is that it happened again, I was very young but I remember it. And it will happen again…”

“Yes. History always repeats itself.”

Kate stood up again and looked around. She noticed the suspicious looks of some students and others of pride every time they passed by. The fissure Corentin spoke of was palpable in the air. She understood Cassandra’s comment, then, and also the fight she witnessed weeks ago.

“How did he do it?” She suddenly asked. “How did he manage to increase that power from one day to the next?”

“Ah, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t ask.” He showed her the hand he had on his back, holding out a book.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” She read. “Isn’t that a story for children?”

“It is, yes. Although I firmly believe fables and stories are also aimed at adults. Haven’t you read it?”

“Mm, no. I don’t think so.”

“Read it. In its entirety, it’s very interesting. And it’s illustrated! I’m always looking forward to that.”

Kate smiled at the comment and accepted the book. She was about to thank Corentin for taking the trouble to accompany her, when the little colour in his complexion disappeared completely. His eyes were fixed on a spot at the end of the corridor. Kate didn’t want to turn around so as not to attract attention.

“What is it? Corentin?”

With no answer, she succumbed to the need to see what was happening and turned around.

Mer Yankelevich was rushing in their direction, her nose buried in a book and practicing wand movements in the air. She nodded twice, and just as she was a few steps away from them, she looked up from the book.

Kate expected a more outrageous reaction than she got. She noticed how Yankelevich’s eyes opened imperceptibly to the encounter, but she recovered with elegance.

“Miss Williams. Corentin.” The librarian bowed in greeting, covering every sign of suspicion on his face. “I have been told that there was another fight here. So I came…”

“You haven’t been properly informed…”

“In fact,” interrupted Kate, “yes. Yesterday, but it’s all under control now.”

The three people together were tense. Kate could tell, and so could they. The teacher’s mind was cloudy. There was chaos. She was nervous, but also… hopeful?

“If you’ll excuse me, I must return to the library,” announced Corentin. With a slight gesture of his head, he turned around and made the way back.

Kate said goodbye, too, and trotted off to catch up with her friend. She looked over her shoulder and thought she saw Yankelevich airing his wand in front of the column.

“The book is in place, you know?” said Corentin. “I took inventory yesterday and nothing is missing.” Kate raised her eyebrows.

“Has she been there again?”

“I haven’t seen her since, no.” They walked in silence the rest of the way. As the sun went down, Corentin got rid of the umbrella and Kate waved her wand so she could see where she was stepping.

They entered the castle again and reached the corridor where their paths diverged. She took the book under her arm and stopped Corentin with the other.

“Thank you for everything.” The librarian nodded, and his trademark half-smile replaced the worried expression. “Can I ask you one last favour?”

Corentin bowed his head inquisitively. “What is it about?”

“Can you sew?”

A sound of falling books alerted them. She turned around to see a handful of students rushing into a hallway.

Kate ran out, trying not to trip over her skirt. Corentin went after her with a quick step and hands behind his back.

More than a dozen books were scattered on the floor. In the chaos, some student inadvertently kicked one of them, making it reach Kate’s feet. Herbology Fundamentals by L.M. Roderick, she read.

A pair of feet protruded from the students and when she noticed them, she realised that someone was lying on the ground. She handed Corentin the book and made her way through the crowd.

“Out of the way!” Some students stepped aside to let her pass, and she managed to get to the centre of the corridor. “Merlin’s beard.”

A woman in her seventies was lying on the ground unconscious. Kate bent down to take her pulse and nodded when she found it.

Behind her, a cloud of black smoke gave rise to a bat which hastily disappeared from the scene.

“Quiet please!” Kate pleaded as she tried to revive the woman.

A girl with long blonde hair bent down to her level.

“Professor Hodges was coming out of class when she collapsed on the floor,” she hurried “I… I couldn’t stop her from falling…”

“Okay, don’t worry. Here, help me…” Kate removed the huge golden glasses the woman was wearing and passed them to the girl.

“Professor… Hodges…”

“Yes. Flavia Hodges. She teaches herbology to the first graders.”

“And how did she fall? Did she hit her head? Tripped?”

“Uh… no, no. I didn’t see her stumble on anything. She just passed out…” The girl gasped and pointed to the teacher’s face.

White foam was beginning to come out of the corners of her mouth and, at that moment, her legs began to shake.

“Somebody, call the hospital wing, now. Go, go, go!” She snapped his fingers three times and several students shot out for help. Others stood back to watch the scene.

Kate instinctively took her hands to her waist where, in the Romanian hospital, she would have some potions for emergencies. She cursed under her breath as she remembered that she had nothing on her but her wand.

“How good are you with charms?”

“I’m more of an astronomer…” answered the girl.

Kate stood up and extended both hands, one grasping the wand, over Flavia Hodges’ body.

“Wingardium Leviosa.”

The body barely stood a few inches off the ground when it began to convulse more violently. She feared it was because of the spell.

Sounds of footsteps alerted her, and she raised her head. Corentin, in his bat form, led four mediwizards levitating a stretcher to Kate.

“What happened? An accident?” Cassandra’s assistant asked. Kate shook her head.

“Poisoned. She foams at the mouth and a few minutes ago she started to convulse. My bet is on Weedosoros, but it’s too soon to say.”

“Or Lobalug venom. There are plenty in the lake, she’s been distracted lately. One, two, three.” The five healers levitated the teacher and successfully placed her on the floating stretcher. With great strides, they synchronised their wands to guide her to the infirmary.

“Impossible,” refuted Kate in a particularly sharp turn “a girl told me she had just come from teaching. If she was poisoned in the lake before, she’d probably be dead on the shore.”

“We’re here!” exclaimed a fellow healer. Kate waved her wand fleetingly and the hospital wing’s doors opened wide, creating a great din.

Kate helped leave the grieving Flavia Hodges on the bed nearest the door and ran to the closet on her left.

“Antidote for common poisons and a 20 ml spoon.”

“Got it,” she picked up the bottle and the ring with measuring spoons and hurried back to the stretcher.

They forced the liquid into the teacher’s mouth and got it down her throat. In a few seconds, the convulsions subsided, and the foaming had completely stopped. One of the healers started cleaning the remains from the corners of her mouth.

Kate sighed with relief and picked up the board that held a scroll at the foot of the bed to write down Hodges’ condition.

The calm was short-lived, when suddenly the woman stood up with a start and tried to get out of bed.

“Someone… someone…”

“Try to calm down, Mrs Hodges. Kate, get a calming draught and a glass of water.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She dropped the scroll and headed across the room where the proper potion was supposed to be.

“There’s no…” she muttered, “There are no bottles of calming draught! Why?” She searched in a hurry, hoping she could find a flask somewhere else.

She looked around and her eyes fell on Cassandra’s cabinet. She turned again, but there was no sign of her.

“Where is Miss Steiner when you need her?” exclaimed Kate.

“Professor Angelov stumbled in and Steiner took him away more than half an hour ago… why…”

“Well, we’re going to have to open this up without her. Somebody, get Professor Jorgensen!” She faced the cabinet and took two steps back.

“I’ll go. I ask… I ask…” said one of the healers, wiping the sweat of his hands on his uniform.

“Antidote for uncommon poisons and extra bezoars just in case. Go! And calming draught!”

“Bezoars? But the only ones we have are for teaching purposes…”

“Just ask for the antidote and the bloody bezoar, will ye? I’ll deal with Jorgensen later.” A hint of an Irish accent escaped Kate’s mouth involuntarily.

“She’s having a panic attack, insisting that they’ve tried to kill her…” said one of the mediwizards.

“Indeed, there is not a single drop!” Said another one rummaging through the drawers.

“Well, that’s it.”

Pointing her wand at the lock of the closet, Kate waved her wrist saying “Cistem Aperio” and both doors opened so violently that Kate thought she had blown up the entire cabinet.

With the help of two mediwizards, they inspected the contents.

“Wow, those are a lot of empty bottles…”

“Here! Calming draught, there’s enough left.”

Astrid Rhode rushed into the room, demanding to know the details of the incident. Followed by Cassandra Steiner and Kent Jorgensen, they approached the now sleeping Professor Hodges and the mediwizards set out to explain the situation.

On the other side of the room, Kate was crouching down, taking what was probably her only chance to see what was inside the cabinet.

She checked the countless empty or half-empty bottles on the small shelves inside, noticing that they all had the same label: Calming Draught 100 ml.

She was right then; Cassandra kept potions, or rather potion bottles under lock and key.

At the bottom, a metal box rested on the last shelf, and Kate reached out to open it, grimacing at its sticky surface.

Empty, too.

“Hey! Who gave you permission to open it?” Cassandra’s voice shook everyone in the room.

Kate stood up as if she was doing nothing wrong and turned to defy her.

“There was an emergency, and we were missing a potion. I had to move several things to find it and I was tidying up.”

“Well, stop that and go write your report.” With one push, Steiner moved Kate out of the way and closed the closet doors quickly, immediately locking them with the key.

On her way to Professor Hodges, she observed Astrid Rhode watching her from outside the infirmary. With a nod, she motioned for Kate to come closer and disappeared behind the doors.

The young witch left the hospital wing without looking back and met the headmistress in the corridor.

“Corentin told me to give you this. Do you think it was an accident?” Astrid inquired, handing her the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

“I haven’t been a healer for too long, but generally speaking, poisonings are not just accidents.”

After a few seconds of silence, Kate added, “I need to use a floo net.”

“I can’t let you do that. We don’t use the chimneys and the smoke would draw attention.”

“If I can find a way to get rid of the smoke, would you make it happen?” The doubt in Astrid’s eyes gave Kate a glimmer of hope.

“If you find a way… the fireplace in my office is connected.” Kate nodded in hope, but the little smile that was forming disappeared as soon as Astrid spoke again.

“I’ve been told that Flavia was mumbling something about someone wanting to kill her, is that true?” She pointed her head to the hospital room.

“Yes. I want to think it’s because of a delusion consequence of the poison, but…”

“But we both know better.”


	7. Whispers In The Night

Charlie adjusted the collar of his shirt while staring at his reflection in the bathroom’s mirror. Poking his head out of the door that connected to the bedroom, he checked the clock and hurried back into the bathroom to dry his hands with a towel.

He heard a soft bell coming his way and found Grimoire, Kate’s beloved cat, by his feet.

“I know, I know. I still have a few minutes…”

Grimoire hissed in disappointment and disappeared again.

Charlie cleaned the remains of the shaving cream that were left on his jaw and nodded at his work before heading to the fireplace in the living room, where Grimoire was pacing.

He chuckled at the invisible circles that the cat was making. 

With the floo powder in hand, he kneeled next to Grimoire and tried to concentrate on the words that Kate indicated him to say.

Durmstrang’s chimneys were not connected to their home in Romania, but she said to give her two weeks and, in that time, true to her words, found a way to connect them.

“Doorm-strang.” He pronounced, throwing the powder to the logs. The green flames appeared, and he waited for her face to pop out of them.

He rubbed his suddenly sweating hands on his thighs while staring impatiently at the fire. Grimoire had time to spin several times around him, making him consider locking the tedious animal inside his closet. Giving it a second thought, the idea of having to deal with him after that seemed equally, and even more horrible.

“Hey, you” Kate’s voice dragged him back to reality.

He knew he had the stupidest grin all over his face and prayed for the green fire to distortion it a bit. He observed her features: her forehead, her nose, her impossibly long eyelashes, those thin but very well-shaped lips, back again to her moderately thick eyebrows and the gorgeous honey eyes that gazed at him. He couldn’t see her ears, or her neck, probably covered in all of those tangled waves he loved spending hours combing with his fingers. 

His eyes darted back to her lips, now moving again, but he couldn’t identify what they said.

“Charlie? Is there something wrong with your side of the floo? Can you hear me?”

The crinkle between her eyes formed like many times before, and he smiled at it.

“I can hear you, love, loud and clear.”

“How have you been? How are you?” Not even the flames could hide the concern.

“I’ve been better. It’s ah… somehow more difficult being away after living together than… you know.”

He heard how she shifted in her place and tried to get more comfortable.

“I know…”

“I have been busy, though, working, writing, I did some cooking, but it’s infinitely more satisfying doing that for two rather than one.”

Her face lit up with the flames and expanded a little as she leaned in. If he concentrated enough, he could imagine that she got closer to him.

“Did you finish your papers?”

“Not yet, the text is there in my nightstand and I stare at it daily, waiting for it to write itself. Wait, someone wants to see you.”

Kate chuckled, and the flames danced around her when she shook her head.

“That’s not writing.”

“It’s not? Well, maybe I’ll have to plan another strategy, then.” He said equally amused. He lifted Grimoire to the fire level, and the cat mewled in delight, seeing his master for the first time in months. He mewled again, and Charlie had the impression he was telling her his version of the story.

“Hello, Grimoire, is that ginger over there being rude to you? Want me to give him a lesson?”

Charlie huffed and practically threw Grimoire out of his arms, before brushing the hairs out of his sleeves.

“Bloody demon, that poor excuse of a cat of yours.”

“What happened? You’ve never had problems before?” She said with a chuckle.

“It appears we are a tad territorial with your things. I wanted to sleep on your side of the bed these days, and I tried to trick him and put your favourite blanket on the couch, but he won’t have it. He always returns and curls up in your pillow, mocking me.”

“I miss you both, too.”

The light atmosphere evaporated and was replaced by a way too familiar sadness. They had walked this road before, and yet it seemed that it would never end.

Kate gave a sharp inhalation, holding back something that could have been words, tears or both. 

“How did you, ah… get rid of the smoke? Of the fire you said…” Charlie cleared his throat, holding back something that could have been words, tears or both.

“I’m holding my wand up the chimney, vanishing it. Do you know how hard it is to practise ‘evanesco’ on actual smoke?” She chuckled, barely believing how she managed to perfect the spell in just two weeks. “What’s the physical form of… smoke? I have no idea.”

She was just rambling, now. Not wanting to end the conversation, but guilty about not having anything to talk about, or better said, anything safe to talk about.

Charlie puffed out a disbelieving and proud huff at her brightness, and out of pure instinct he stretched his arm to caress her face, immediately regretting his dumb behaviour.

Kate grinned when he brought his fingertip to his mouth to soothe the pain.

“I see some things don’t change, then. Always attracted to the fire.”

Catching her eyes, he was captivated by their sudden shimmer that had nothing to do with the floo powder.

“I like the warm feeling of it.” he whispered.

“You want to be cautious; you might burn.” her voice sounding equally low, and in the silence of the night, it resembled a purr. But it might have been the floo interferences. He chose his words very carefully, selected them to have the desired effect.

“I would happily let the flames consume me.”

Grimoire’s angry hiss covered Kate’s shuddering breath, and she thanked Merlin when Charlie turned around at the cat and didn’t see her face.

She looked up, probably checking her spell, and then behind her before focusing on Charlie again.

“You must go already?” He intended to sound as disappointed as he felt, selfishly wanting her to stay at least one more minute.

“I have a bit of time. There’s plenty of healers here, and night-shifts are relaxed. They will survive without me. Now tell me, are you putting on enough sunscreen?”

Charlie’s entire face brightened at the question and proceeded to tell her the amount of work he’d been putting on the sanctuary.

“Some of my teammates have been asking about you, you know?”

“Really? What did you tell them?”

“That you were on a trip around Europe. I don’t think they believe that. They think we broke up.”

“Stick to the Europe story. It’s pretty accurate, anyway. By the way, are you familiar with the book… uh… The Tales of Beedle the Bard?” Her voice above a whisper.

Charlie was taken aback by the question and answered full of curiosity.

“Sure thing, love. Mum used to read it to us when we were kids. Why the sudden urge to read bedtime stories?”

“Someone recommended it…”

“Wait… you’ve never read it? It’s very famous.”

“I don’t remember there being any children’s stories in my house. Arithmancy books, yes.” As the conversation came to a halt, Kate settled down on the floor, adjusting her arm.

“I hope you’ve been watering my plants…” she threatened after she settled.

“Each and every one.”

“And have you been moving Ypsilon? He likes the sun at all times, otherwise his leaves close up and then he gets mad at me.”

“Plants can’t get angry, Katie,” he let out with a laugh, “and yes, every day; in the morning I put him by the window with white curtains and in the evening on the chairs on the other side.”

“That they can’t get angry, he says. You paid little attention in herbology and it shows.”

“You left me an endless list of instructions for each pot and I’m following them to the letter. If you think I’m not doing a good job, come home and see for yourself.”

The smirk that had planted itself on her face deflated to leave only a sad smile.

“I would love to…”

Charlie’s expression suddenly darkened. He adjusted on the carpet to be more comfortable, but Kate noticed the agitation. She gave him time to say what he had to say and after a long sigh he spoke again.

“Katie, you’ve been receiving letters… letters from your father.”

“Have you opened them?”

“Of course not. But there’s three of them now…”

“But… Oh, shit.” Charlie frowned and leaned into the fire. “A few weeks ago someone from the ministry came looking for Igor Karkarov,” Charlie’s eyes opened like plates “He must have recognised me. I know he was from my father’s department.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Me? Nothing. Well, my job. The important thing is what you do. Open the letters. Probably he’s just asking why I don’t respond. Send an owl saying I have a lot of work.”

“What if he comes here?” Kate snorted.

“Joseph Williams? Getting his trousers dirty to go to a cabin? Don’t worry, he won’t bother.”

“I’m worried, Kate. What if something happened?”

“All the more reason to read them. Don’t tell me anything, don’t send me anything, I don’t want to know anything. The less traceable, the better.”

“Katie, we’ve been sending each other letters for over a month.”

“I know…” They were silent for a few moments, listening to the crackling of the flames. Kate adjusted her arm again, moving the fire, and inhaled to speak.

“Don’t tell me we should stop because I’ll have a heart attack,” Charlie rushed before she could say anything.

“No, it’s just… things can get ugly real fast and I don’t… I don’t want them to get to you.”

“I’m not the one who can’t go home. Besides, if someone intercepts our letters, what will they find? Dumb words of love?” He managed to get a laugh out of her for the first time in two months.

“Hey! They’re not dumb!” Charlie rested his head on the palm of his hand. “No, they’re not…”

“One question.” Charlie started out of nowhere, “What do you know about giants?” Kate arched her eyebrows before pursing her lips, pensive.

“They’re usually big…”

“Yes, thank you very much. You remember that Hagrid…”

“Yes.”

“Dumbledore asked me to fix it…”

“No. Absolutely not. No way…”

“Katie, I already went.”

“Damn you, Charles! Giants, are you mad?” She looked behind her shoulder and murmured, “What were you thinking?”

“About you, and on how useless I was feeling by keeping a low profile.” She tsked and shook her head. “It didn’t go well, but it was worth a try.”

“What made you think it would work, if Hagrid failed?”

“My charm.” He threw a proud smirk at her, trying to tease her a bit. She shook her head again, this time trying to keep the corners of her mouth from curving.

“Are you all right?” She asked in a completely different tone.

“A little bruised, but fine. Though I would have preferred you being the one who healed me.”

“Sweet talker.” She accused. He flashed her a grin again, attempting to make her forget his little adventure.

“So they’re on His side, irrevocably, right?” Charlie slowly nodded.

Asking her to wait, he reached for the flu-powder bowl, and threw a handful into the fire, rekindling the green flames.

He looked at her again, without saying anything. The fire was the only thing that lit up the little room in his home, and if he concentrated enough, he could imagine that she was there with him; reading or writing, both of them in silence, enjoying a quiet night.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered.

“Nothing, just looking at you. Lovely views.”

Kate’s face contorted in worry all of a sudden. She ordered him to be quiet with her finger against her lips and turned around. He saw the back of her head for one solid minute before she faced him again.

“Someone’s outside,” she whispered, “I need to go now. I promise we’ll talk like this again.”

“Katie… Kate!” She looked at him with fear of being caught and with a pointed look, hurried him to talk.

“I love you.”

She softened, and a hint of a sad smile appeared on her face. He watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath.

I love you, too

He barely heard her, but her lips didn’t move at all, and he had to blink several times to register what was happening. It felt like she was there, right next to him, and in his head, and everywhere.

“How…”

“A connection. An unbreakable bond lets the mind do wonderful things. And the vanishing spell isn’t the only thing I’ve been practising.” She checked her back again and returned to him once more before grinning. “You look handsome, by the way, as always.”

And with a wink and a smile she left him staring at the now cooling logs, touching his recently shaved face and with a devastated expression that would stay with him for the next months.

“Thanks…” he whispered into the night.

She glanced around to make her eyes adjust to the darkness and picked up the heavy skirts of her uniform so that she could stand up. Groping around, she approached headmistress Rhode’s desk and opened the top drawer. Feeling only papers and parchment, she closed it and opened the next.

Kate made the remaining smoke disappear quickly, as well as the burned logs. She raised her hand to her necklace and then pressed it against stomach, thinking that perhaps, if she put enough pressure, she would make the horrible feeling in her body disappear.

Something cold touched her hand. Bingo.

She lifted the bottle and extended her arms before pressing the valve at the end of the tube. The characteristic smell of the headmistress’ office flooded the room, making all traces of the smoke disappear.

She grimaced at the new fragrance and quickly returned the bottle to the drawer. Just as she was closing it, a new set of voices echoed through the door.

She stood very still, at first, hearing them closer and clearer.

She hurried to her feet, and at her haste, the corner of the desk collided with her hip. Taking her hand to her mouth, she pressed her eyes so hard that she began to see stars.

When the pain became tolerable, she went on her way to the door and bent over the doorknob. Moving the flap that covered the lock, she dared to look.

“You can’t get very far, Marek.”

She could make out Libor Marek’s legs, limping rapidly out of reach of his pursuer. Another pair of legs appeared beside him and Marek halted.

“You’re a lunatic. All those weird herbs of yours can’t be doing you any good.” He lowered the volume of his voice as he stood in front of the door, yet the irritation was evident in his tone.

“I’m only going to ask you once…”

“You mean, ‘once more’…”

“I’m just saying, if you need painkillers for your leg, don’t steal ingredients. You can ask for them. I didn’t say anything the first time, but it’s getting repetitive.”

“Don’t get amiable with me, Jorgensen. I didn’t take anything from your stinking office. Maybe you should ask yourself who decided that poisoning teachers is the order of the day in entertainment.”

“Well, that would be perfect, wouldn’t it? You’d kill two birds with one stone. You never liked her.“

Marek didn’t respond. His legs turned away from the potion teacher. Although he said one last sentence, Kate could only make out the word “cretin”.

Jorgensen stood in front of the door before turning around and walking away in the opposite direction.

Kate let out a long sigh and squeezed her wand more tightly. With a grimace, she lifted the latch of the door and pulled. She tiptoed out of the room, trying to avoid the heels of her boots to touch the floor, and slipped through the shadows. To the rest of the world, she had never been there.

She walked through the halls calmly and quietly. The floating candlesticks barely lit the way, enough to keep from tripping.

Darkness had never been a problem for her. In fact, it was preferable. Everything was different; the people seemed good, the problems insignificant, and the world was at peace.

However, everything was out of the ordinary now. Even the night could not avoid that feeling of being watched. There weren’t too many pictures on the walls, but if the stone had eyes, Kate was sure it would squint as she walked.

I’m not very good at this spy stuff, she thought. Suddenly the question she had asked Astrid Rhode on her first day echoed in her mind.

Why me?

I’d never get a clear answer from Dumbledore, that was clear. She could only resign herself to accepting her mission.

Before entering the infirmary, she sniffed the inside of her elbow and shirt collar, and when she saw that Astrid’s potion to eliminate odours had worked, she plastered her healing face on and opened the hospital wing’s doors.

With the events of the past two weeks related to the herbology professor in mind, she went over to Flavia Hodges’ bed to review her status report. Just a few days before, Flavia suffered another accident; she rolled down the stairs in, what appeared to be, a moment of distraction on her part.

Poisoning. Unknown. Possible Weedosoros. (Symptoms: convulsions, foaming at mouth) - Antidote for common poisons. Effective.

Anxiety attack. - Calming draught. Effective.

Hip fracture- 3-4 days, Skele-gro. Effective.

Looking up from the paper, she observed how the teacher moved in a restless sleep. As she approached to blow out the candle on her bedside table, a hand grabbed her tightly at the wrist.

Professor Hodges took a deep breath; her eyes were wide open, and they looked at Kate with a horrified expression. With her free hand she gestured frantically, and her mouth opened and closed, trying to pronounce the words she so desperately wanted to convey.

“Professor Hodges, breathe with me.” Kate tried to get Flavia to compose herself, but she was getting more and more agitated.

Some sounds came out of her mouth, and Kate sat down on the bed.

“What do you want to tell me?” She put her hand on her forehead and didn’t need a thermometer to know that her temperature was not normal.

“I need help! Fever-reducing potion and… and more antidote!” She screamed over her shoulder, not caring if she woke up other patients.

Two mediwizards rushed to the cabinets to provide the necessary potions. Kate reached out her hand that wasn’t being squeezed by the teacher and flew a cloth hanging from a chair on the other side of the room.

“Aguamenti.” She mumbled. The cloth became wet in her hand, causing several drops of water to travel to her elbow. She placed the cloth on the teacher’s forehead, who winced at the contact.

The promised potions arrived quickly, and the three mediwizards set about healing their patient. Flavia resisted, squirming and holding Kate tighter and tighter.

“Ig…” She put her index finger just below her eye for a second before dropping her hand.

“You saw something. What did you see?” Kate insisted.

“Ig… ov…”

“I’ll give you what’s left of the calming draught.” Kate heard her partner say.

“There’s nothing left but that?”

“Don’t give her anything yet!” Kate interrupted. “Professor. Professor Hodges. Look at me. Do you mean that…”

Before she could finish the question, one of her companions raised Flavia’s head and made her drink from the bottle of the potion that would take effect in a few seconds.

Kate stood up and as she watched Flavia Hodges go into a deep sleep, two dots connected in her mind. It was possible, and almost certain, that Professor Hodges had had an encounter with the Death Eater Igor Karkarov, and that he was roaming the castle at that very moment.


	8. A Precarious Decision

It was a busy night; full of nightmares and scares. Flavia Hodges didn’t sleep a wink all night, and consequently, neither did Kate. Around four o’clock in the morning, she fell into the bed next to the teacher’s, only to be woken up two hours later.

Cassandra Steiner shook the young healer’s shoulder until she opened her eyes. As if a rock were strapped to her chest, Kate slowly stood up and put her palm to one eye to get the sleep away.

“Have you spent the night here?” She only answered Cassandra with a nod and looked up to see that Professor Hodges was still sleeping.

“I couldn’t leave. She had nightmares all night, screaming, keeping us all awake. She said she didn’t want to teach anymore, she was quitting, and she’d tell the headmistress today.”

Cassandra tapped her fingers on her thigh. “Anything else?”

Kate looked down, “No.” Steiner nodded before leaving her side.

She decided not to comment that she thought Flavia was trying to pronounce Karkarov’s name, keeping the information for Astrid Rhode.

“I don’t want to give her more calming draught,” Kate began as she stood up, “I’m worried that…”

When she reached Flavia’s side, she removed some silver curls from in front of her ear and came over to inspect her neck. She pressed her eyes tightly, still struggling to keep them open, and looked again.

“Miss Steiner?” She said over her shoulder. Cassandra returned to her side with an almost exasperated look.

“Now what’s going on?”

“Look at this mark. It’s a bruise, but look closer.” Kate stepped aside to make room for her, and the mediwizard ducked to her level.

“It’s like a little hole. From a puncture…” Cassandra hummed, and after checking that she had no more marks, she got up to talk to Kate.

“Well, this is the ultimate proof: it was intentional and someone tried to kill her.”

“The foam coming out of her mouth didn’t convince you?” Steiner threw a fake smile at the comment, not too pleased with the sarcasm.

“You know what? Take the rest of the day off. And tomorrow, too. Come back on Monday.”

Of all the things Kate expected for her to say, that wasn’t one of them. Steiner kept talking but only heard that she was also giving another mediwizard a day off.

“If you leave now, you’ll get to breakfast before the kids.” With that, Cassandra turned around and set about ordering some untagged bottles.

Kate stood and watched Cassandra before slowly walking to the door. With one last look and a wrinkle between her eyebrows, she left the hospital wing and, without bothering to go through the dining room, decided to go straight up to her room.

She skipped lunch, too, having slept through the afternoon; she saw no daylight that Saturday because when she woke up, storm clouds were stalking the castle, leaving everything in darkness.

The respite Cassandra gave her, apart from being confusing and somewhat suspicious, also proved to be very convenient; Kate took advantage of that afternoon to recover her strength, which was rapidly beginning to run out.

She escaped to the kitchens without being seen, read the first of the stories in Corentin’s book, put her notes in order in her notebook, and was able to enjoy an afternoon without those bulky uniform skirts, sighing with relief when she could dress up in Charlie’s T-shirt and simple jeans.

She had also taken the opportunity to visit headmistress Rhode’s office, but she had left in a hurry to her class. She said that if she wanted to talk to her, she should go the next afternoon.

When her eyes got tired of reading in the dim light of her candle, she put her cape on the desk and placed the book and notebook right on top. With a quill, she traced part of the outline of the objects on the cloth and while looking at the parchment Corentin had written; she spent the rest of the afternoon entertaining herself with a needle.

The next day, rested but not quite composed, Kate evaluated her options. She put her uniform back on, and with her new pockets sewn into her cloak, she armed herself with her notebook and book and set off on her adventure.

After breakfast, she walked through the halls, stopping to ask where the herbology class was being held, and after several confusing and contradictory directions, she left the castle.

The storm that finally decided to fall the night before had left the skies clear and cold, and Kate was grateful for the magical properties of her uniform that kept her from freezing.

She stopped short when she realised where she had ended up around the corner. The outer corridor where Corentin showed her the mark of Grindelwald. Only this time, she appeared at the other end.

With her head tilted to her right, she looked for the number 82 plaque that indicated the herbology classroom. It didn’t take long to find it, and when she arrived, she turned to look around.

There were few people outside. From where she stood she could clearly see the column with the mark, the quidditch field in the distance, and part of one of the lakes surrounding the castle.

The door was open, and she ventured inside with a determined step.

She was not sure what she expected to find. It had a blackboard that occupied an entire wall, a desk with a pile of books on it, and student desks that were facing it.

She went over to the desk and started opening drawers. A quill and several scrolls were all she found.

Then she inspected the books, the same ones Flavia had dropped that fateful day. She opened the one on top of the pile.

She could not resist raising her eyebrows at the innocent, and in her opinion, boring contents. She remembered the lessons with Professor Sprout and how they spent the days with their hands buried in pots.

“Do they learn anything from this? It doesn’t even have enough drawings,” she said under her breath and immediately chuckled as he imagined Corentin excited by some good illustrations.

She closed the book and sighed thoughtfully. There was no indication that anything out of the ordinary had happened.

“Let’s see,” she began moving to the board. She raised one arm and pretended to write. “I am Flavia Hodges, professor of herbology. I’m in my boring class, with no… posters or pictures, with my boring books and my bored students.”

She walked over to the desk and picked up all the books and immediately put them back down.

“Okay, you were carrying them with magic, weren’t you? So you should have been concentrated and just thinking about that.” She said to no one.

With a gesture of the wand the books raised in the air and Kate took them to the door, she went out and she continued through the corridor recreating the steps that Flavia must have done.

“There’s no one now, but at the time, I was walking among a wave of students and teachers who come from here to there.”

She looked at the column and switched the books to the side to see it better and went on her way.

“So I keep walking with my books, where am I going? To the library?”

She reached the end of the corridor and saw the stairs leading up to the castle where she and Corentin went.

“I go up those stairs and immediately collapse.” She turned to see the long road she had travelled. “And something happened between the classroom and the stairs. But what?”

She turned again, but she crashed against a firm body. Distracted, all the books fell to the floor.

“Hey! Where are you going in such a hurry?” Kent Jorgensen was standing in front of her with smiling eyes. “Were you going to return the books to Corentin?”

Kate made all the books back into an orderly pile as she thought about how to answer.

“Yes. Yes, exactly.” Jorgensen nodded.

“It’s very kind of you to help Flavia with everything that’s happening to her. Cassandra told me that you took the day off today and since I found you, perhaps you would like to join me,” he nodded towards the quidditch field.

“Today is game day, quite an experience.”

“Better not. I must take these books and… I don’t want to leave Professor Hodges alone. I know it’s my day off, but…”

“Nonsense. You deserve a break, and Cassandra can handle herself. So do these books.” He shook his wand and the mountain of copies rose in the air and made their way to the stairs; the door opened, and they disappeared inside the castle.

“Come on, you’ll have fun.” He said as he started to walk.

Kate sighed and followed in his footsteps, thinking that attending one, and only one, of the games would be enough to fulfil the promise she had made to Charlie and thus answer any questions he might have.

They walked together in silence, only accompanied by the sounds of screams and laughter that became more and more audible.

“No wonder there’s no one in the castle, everyone’s here.” Kate said as she arrived at the field.

“Oh, yes, we take it very seriously. First-year students are training now, but then the real game starts.”

A man with deep brown skin and the roundest eyes Kate’s ever seen, was in the middle of the field and when they were spotted, he raised his hand to greet them in their direction with a big smile.

Jorgensen reciprocated both the greeting and the joyous expression.

“That’s Sheyi Mawut, the coach, the best one!” He corrected, “He played for the Tchamba Charmers, do you know the team?”

“Yes, my b… yes, I’ve heard about them.” She cut the sentence before she could mention Charlie, and luckily the teacher was so engrossed in watching the man that he ignored it completely.

“Why don’t you find a seat, I’ll say hi to Sheyi.” Jorgensen said without looking at her, and started off on his way to center field.

Kate watched as the two chatted animatedly, patting each other on the back and laughing together.

While climbing the stairs she dodged several boys and girls until she finally found a free place in the last row.

It was hard to think that the calm and wise looking Professor Jorgensen would have behaved so irrationally; accusing Libor Marek of stealing his ingredients. If it was true, Kate didn’t know.

At all times, she had to be reminded that everyone, including her, played a part in the plot she was in and no one was who they said they were.

She was about to close the book after reading the last word, when she heard a voice beside her.

Taking advantage of the sun and the wait, Kate reached into her cape and pulled out the Tales of Beedle the Bard, opening it for the second story: The Fountain of Good Fortune.

“Excuse me, you’re the healer who treated Professor Hodges, right?”

Kate looked up and found a blonde girl whose face was familiar. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

“My name is Vic. You asked me for help when she was poisoned…”

“Yes, it’s true. Can I help you? Are you all right?” Vic shook her hands and her head.

“It’s not that, it’s just…” She sat down next to her and kept whispering, “I thought I should tell you that Professor Hodges didn’t accidentally fall down the stairs.”

Kate slammed the book shut and leaned over. “She didn’t?”

“I didn’t see it, but my best friend told me she saw the main staircase turn into a slide and then disappear.” She paused before adding, “In other circumstances I would have thought it was silly, but…”

“I understand. Thanks for telling me.”

“I really don’t understand. Why would anyone want to hurt Hodges? The only enemies she can have are her 15 students… if you can call them enemies…”

“Only fifteen?” Kate asked in surprise.

“Yes, herbology is only taught in the first year. Then it is an elective, but generally no one is interested. Popular lessons are Dark arts; with Rhode, advanced duelling and potions.”

“Yes, I know that…”

More and more people gathered in the seats in the stands as the centre of the camp was cleared. Coach Mawut, in his black and gold robes, flew in surfing style, picking up the quaffles that had been in use.

“The game is about to begin; The Screeching Eagles vs. the White Manticores, it will be exciting! No one has a chance in winter against the Manticores. By the way, I went to return Professor Hodges’ glasses.”

“I know. I saw them, thank you.” With a smile, Kate and Vic said their goodbyes and watched her go down the stairs looking for a seat next to her friends.

At that moment, Kent Jorgensen returned to her side.

“What a character Sheyi is,” he said with a mischievous smile, “every time I try to watch them practise the reverse pass, they just happen to be over.” He shook his head, still smiling, and didn’t notice Kate slipping the book under her cloak.

In a burst of courage, she thought perhaps she could test the waters with Jorgensen.

“I have been informed that Flavia did not stumble on the stairs.” 

The professor kept looking at the field. He didn’t even change his expression. Though uneasy, his mind was under control.

“Glisseo.” He simply commented, “It’s a spell to turn stairs into ramps. I was there, a small group of students were laughing, I imagine it was a joke gone wrong.”

Kate made no further comment on this and consequently, neither did he.

Sheyi Mawut stood in the centre of the field and introduced the teams, who shot out boasting of their manoeuvres in the air.

Kate calculated that the time she could stand watching a game without Charlie playing was thirty minutes. However, she had to watch the seventh graders circle in front of her for another hour and a half.

The most interesting moment occurred toward the end of the game, where the commentator announced that The White Manticore seeker had gone out in search of the snitch behind the mountains.

She smirked as she understood the all-white uniform of the Manticores and that when they rose higher than their opponents; it was difficult to keep track of them with the characteristic snowy peaks of the area in the background.

Kate sighed with relief when the phrase 250 to 210. The White Manticores win! End of the game. Echoed around.

It took a long time to descend from the stands; the crowd was walking in its own good time and as they waited, Kate took time to admire the views.

She watched from afar as the coach congratulated the champions and spoke animatedly to any student who approached. 

He chatted with a boy, and immediately they both climbed on their broomsticks. Kate looked at the ground to avoid tripping as she went down and missed how the boy went upside down in the air.

Once downstairs, she said goodbye to Jorgensen, but before she could make her way back to the castle, a cry caught his attention.

The boy practicing with Mawut was writhing in pain on the floor, his broom was on the floor and Sheyi kneeled by his side.

Kate shot out in his direction and knelt down beside him.

“He fell on his arm.” Mawut’s tone was calm and comforting. Kate raised the boy’s arm, and he hissed when she gently twisted it.

“It’s just crooked. Luckily it wasn’t very high.”

“How do you know it’s not broken?” asked the boy in a shy voice.

“Because if it was, when I turned it you would have tried to break your broom over my head.” The boy giggled at the comment, and Mawut and Kate exchanged a smile.

“I’ll bandage it now, but we must go to the hospital wing and get you something for the swelling.” After some bandages appeared in the air and were tied to his arm, Kate looked at him and asked him to stand up when she noticed a purplish shadow next to his eye.

“How did this happen?” He turned his head violently and covered the side of his face.

Mawut and Kate grabbed him by the armpits to help him up. 

“Micael! Come here right now!” All three looked up and the boy’s panicked face didn’t go unnoticed.

Leron Angelov dashed towards them and wrestled with Kate to get Michael out of her grasp.

“What have I told you…?” He angry-whispered. Angelov grabbed him by the ear and pulled him to himself.

“Release him right now, please.” Kate’s tone was sharp and definitive. Angelov ignored her and pushed his son to walk in front of him. Kate chased them across the lawn.

“He must go to the infirmary at once! Professor Angelov!”

Leron turned so violently that Kate’s first reflex was to squeeze her wand and aim it at him without lifting her wrist from her hip.

“You decide nothing. Mind your own business.” He marched behind his son and they grew smaller as they walked away towards the castle.

A reassuring hand rested on her shoulder and tapped several times. Mawut smiled empathetically and set about collecting the brooms that had been left behind.

After forcing herself to eat a sandwich at lunchtime, Kate tried to talk to Rhode again.

So far, everything seemed normal; the students were agitated about the exams that were just around the corner, but not about any intruder or unwelcome presence.

And the teachers… she couldn’t say anything about it. The truth was that she had had too little contact with them to draw any conclusions. She wasn’t sure that their being calm was a good sign.

“We need to talk.” Rhode announced from her chair when she saw Kate come in.

“I agree…”

“Me first, if you don’t mind.” She shifted in his seat and put her arms over the desk while Kate sat on the other side. She handed her a scroll to look at.

“This is the resignation of Flavia Hodges. She signed it a few hours ago and I’ve already stamped it.”

Kate looked at the document and then at Astrid, waiting for the next sentence.

“In view of the murder attempts she’s been suffering, I think this is the best option.”

“I think she meant to tell me it was Igor Karkarov.” She left the scroll on the table and waited for the headmistress’ reaction.

“Karkarov?” Her eyebrows immediately raised, and she interlocked her fingers in front of her.

Kate shrugged and shook her head. “I suggest increasing the security of the castle. Someone called the British Ministry for him, probably Hodges.”

“She would have warned me…” she thought for a few seconds and with a sharp inhalation continued, “Besides, that Ministry employee came before the attacks on Flavia began.”

“But what if he’s here? I mean, Karkarov arrives, someone sees him and warns the Ministry to come and get him, but he can’t find him and the man is still in the castle.”

Rhode opened one of her drawers and pulled out a blank parchment sheet.

“I’m going to write to Albus. I refuse bringing any more people from the Ministry into my school. Hodges will be transferred in a week or two, after which we’ll put guards on it if necessary.”

“I don’t think it’s right to leave Hodges alone if someone wants to kill her…”

“Until the time of her departure, she will be accompanied at all times. Now, I must wait for Dumbledore’s advice and in that time find a new herbology professor. If possible, by tomorrow.”

Kate sighed and got up from her seat. Understanding that the director could not give her any advice on how to proceed, or act on Voldemort’s alleged mole, she went to the door to let her work.

She was about to turn the knob when an idea was planted in her brain. And it took root. It would be hard to get rid of that plan.

Too irrational. Too risky.

But maybe…

Kate turned around and asked,

“Why does Flavia Hodges have her students’ textbooks?” Astrid looked at her curiously.

“All subjects have copies of the books for those students who don’t want or can’t afford them. Usually only students from wealthier families buy them.”

Kate hummed and slid back into the chair. “I need to get closer to the teachers and… you can say no, but…”

“What do you propose?”

“To be the new Herbology teacher.”


	9. The Art Of Transfiguration

_"You’re going to get us caught. Act normal or it’s over.”_

_“I didn’t know what to do. What if it was him?” Cassandra, metal box in hand, approached Kent Jorgensen with a furtive look._

_“It wasn’t him.” She handed him the box, “These are the ones I found.”_

_“Listen to me, Cassandra. How much longer are we going to hold out? One thing is… but attempted murder?”_

_“It wasn’t him.” He insisted._

_“How are you so sure? You really don’t think it’s a possibility?” Jorgensen saw in her eyes how doubt quickly took hold, fear too, but she controlled it._

_“And then there’s her. She’s not a bad girl, but she’s starting to ask questions. Have you ever stopped to think about why Astrid brought her so late in the year if not for this?”_

_“Stop it. You have a meeting now, right? Go.”_

_“It was nice of you to give her some time off… even though she’s using it to snoop around. Or did you want to get rid of her?”_

_“I have my moments.”_

Kate snaked through the corridors until she found the meeting room Astrid Rhode had told her. She couldn’t wait to see the look on the other teachers’ faces when they saw her there.

The night before, she had been practicing one of the legilimens lessons she had received from Snape, but despite her efforts, she was unable to connect with Charlie’s mind without seeing him and knowing where he was.

On her way to the meeting, she forced herself to open her mind and let all the thoughts and emotions around her envelop her. It was overwhelming, yes, but necessary in order to control it.

She let out a long sigh of exhaustion and despair. Dumbledore did not choose well. The amount of information that was accumulating was difficult to handle, and her attempts to put it all on paper ended in deep confusion.

When she reached the right door, hidden in the darkest tower of the castle, she went to push the knob, but instead of making contact with the metal, her whole body went through the wood and appeared on the other side.

“Welcome.” Astrid, sitting at the end of a long table, greeted her. Several people were already in the windowless room.

Kate responded with a nod and the faintest rise of the corners of her mouth. Her head ached, and she looked around.

Mawut, sitting to Astrid’s left, gave her a bright smile which Kate returned. Next to her, she saw who she thought was the Magical Creatures professor.

She pulled back a few red curls from her shoulder and leaned forward, “Denise Krauss”

“Kate.” She waved.

Mer Yankelevich was looking at her intently from across the table, when Kate looked up at her, her eyebrows raised.

“This I did not expect.” She snorted and pursed her lips in a comical smile before patting the empty chair next to her.

Sitting close to Rhode and with his back to Kate was Libor Marek with his arms crossed. He didn’t bother to turn around to see who had just arrived, he just waited for Kate to sit next to Yankelevich and followed her movements.

Holding her gaze, her lips curled down in a gesture of approval.

“It’s not that surprising.” He said, addressing Yankelevich. He turned his head to look at Rhode and continued, “I have class.”

Astrid raised her eyes from her papers over her reading glasses. “There’s still time. Your students can do without you for ten minutes.”

Another body appeared through the door and Kent Jorgensen came out of the shadows.

“Sorry I’m late… Williams.” Kate couldn’t identify his expression.

Jorgensen sat down next to her and questioned her with his eyes. Kate just shrugged and forced a smile.

“Well, we can get started.” Astrid announced.

Before she could continue, Libor Marek interrupted her.

“Angelov is missing.”

“He’s always late, Astrid starts without him, and Libor gets angry because… well, he gets angry about everything.” Yankelevich whispered in her ear. Paying attention to her, she couldn’t hear the argument between Libor and Astrid.

Jorgensen bent down in front of Kate to include himself in the talk. “He gets angry because he never wants to be here.”

“And you do? We already know what we’re doing here, except for Williams, probably.”

Kate mustered all the willpower she could find and kept her mouth shut. Astrid stood up and asked for silence.

“We will continue without Angelov and Rosberg…” she continued her speech, but Kate only heard Yankelevich’s whisper again, saying she meant the divination teacher.

“It will not be necessary.” Angelov stumbled his way to the chair next to Libor. Rhode gave a sharp nod and ignored Marek’s roll of the eyes.

“I called you as soon as I made my decision. As you know, for the past few weeks, Flavia Hodges has been under supervision as a result of the murder attempts she’s been suffering from.”

Murmurings flooded the room.

“Who said they were trying to kill her?” Leron asked.

Kate leaned over to the table to get Angelov to look at her.

“Hodges herself. And I confirm it. Just like Miss Steiner. She was poisoned and then thrown down the stairs…”

“This was a while ago, Leron, where have you been?” Interrupted Yankelevich.

Kate kept her eyes on Leron, but unlike Jorgensen, his blue eyes couldn’t intimidate her. She quietly challenged him to say another word, but he turned his head to look at Mawut, who was talking.

“Do we know what she was poisoned with?” The coach demanded.

“What does it matter?” Marek retorted. Kate looked away from Libor and squinted her eyes when an idea flashed through her head.

“Yes, with Wee… I’m almost sure with a very high concentration of belladonna.”

For some reason, the conversation she heard through the door of Rhode’s office repeated itself in her head, and she remembered that someone had been stealing potion ingredients.

“Belladonna,” she continued, “is a crucial ingredient of the Weedesoros potion, not only used as a poison but also for various kinds of ailments…”

“And then how are you so sure it was with that?” Jorgensen asked.

Several conversations erupted, and it was proving impossible to keep track of them all at once. Kate looked at Astrid and in a mute agreement, decided not to give any more details.

“Does that tell you anything?” Rhode asked

Mer Yankelevich crossed her legs and shook her head. Leron Angelov rubbed his nose before scratching his neck, and Libor Marek and Kent Jorgensen shared a look.

“It tells me that the person responsible has access to belladonna.” Marek spat.

“Are you trying to say something, Libor?” Jorgensen replied.

It was time to focus on the minds of those present. Unfortunately, Kate sensed so much nervousness in the room that she could not identify where it came from. Her own feelings were interfering with the process, and she sat back in her seat in frustration.

“May I ask you something?” Yankelevich intervened. All eyes were on her. “What is she doing here?” She pointed to Kate with one of his mile-long nails. If she didn’t know Jorgensen was the animagus, she’d think Yankelevich was a hawk, because of her claw-like hands.

“That’s the next point. In light of events, Flavia Hodges will be moved to an institution where she will be protected. I have personally taken care of the paperwork and she will leave this week.”

Kate noticed how Marek turned his head to look at her, but she ignored him and continued to listen to Astrid.

“Miss Williams will take her place temporarily.” Now not only was Marek’s gaze upon her, and the murmurs and complaints erupted again.

Rhode raised a hand before she put her glasses on, effectively silencing those present.

“Now, with this settled, I must communicate to you…” She glanced briefly at Kate and after sighing continued, “that Karkarov has been seen on the castle grounds.”

The reactions to the statement were varied, and Rhode had no choice but to shut the room up again.

“Does that mean he’ll be back?” Yankelevich asked.

“He can’t come back after all that’s happened.” Jorgensen answered.

“Karkarov will not return to the school and I will make sure that he does not stain Durmstrang’s reputation any more. Now, on Flavia’s departure, castle guards will control all entrances and exits to the building, the Quidditch field and the lakes, the ship included.”

A new round of protests and grievances filled the place, and Astrid and Kate looked on.

“I remind you that this is a purely informative meeting and there is no room for debate or vote. If we can prevent the ministries from interfering with Durmstrang, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

Marek slapped the table. “If that’s all, then I’m leaving.”

Astrid gestured vaguely so he could leave, and in the blink of an eye he had already walked through the door.

Jorgensen and Mawut were next, and Mer Yankelevich followed. Denise Krauss greeted Kate again and left as well.

Leron Angelov stared vacantly at the wall, but after a moment he got up too and left without a word, leaving Kate and Astrid alone.

“I didn’t know you were going to comment on Karkarov.” Accused Kate.

“I wanted to see their reactions.”

“And?”

“I don’t know.. Keep an eye on Marek. He didn’t like the decision to have guards. Are you nervous?”

“For my first day of school? I’m terrified. Although I still have to tell Steiner. I’ll be going now.”

–

Kate stood behind the desk of room 82 and tried to calm her nerves. When she proposed being a substitute for professor Hodges, she was thinking about getting closer to the other teachers and overlooked a minor detail: she would have to perform as a professor. 

She had no training, no experience, and no one to give her advice. 

It’s just your first day, Kate, try to know the students, and… and figure out how to teach with this useless book.

The doors of the classroom opened and Hodges’ fifteen children appeared, some fought for their seats, others sat down patiently and a small group entered pushing each other. She moved to the front and leaned on the desk and waited for them to settle. They sat quietly at first, but soon the whispering started.

“Good evening, I’m Kate Williams. I’ll be teaching your herbology classes now that your former professor is… indisposed.”

She mentally winced at the wording and crossed her legs in front of her.

“Okay, well… You won’t have a lesson today because I found out that I would replace Hodges just yesterday so…”

A girl in the front row raised her hand. “We have exams in less than two weeks.”

“I know. I’ll do my best to prepare you as fast as I can for that, but it won’t be easy. However, I’ll talk to headmistress Rhode and try to convince her to let me make some changes.”

The whispering started again and Kate shifted uncomfortably in her spot before grabbing the copy of the book she had with her and opening it to the contents table page.

“You were supposed to get to Unit 5: Soils.” She looked up expecting some sort of confirmation but received silence instead. “So that’s what we’ll try to do.”

She left the book on the table again and crossed her arms.

“How many days a week do you work in the greenhouse?” There was silence again, and that started to make her worried. “Do you go to the greenhouse at all?” 

A boy from the third row raised his hand.

“Jon Hopkins, professor. Professor Marek says that Durmstrang is focused on martial magic and Dark Arts. That is over-qualified for plants, professor.”

“Of course he does…” she jumped the small step from where the desk was placed and walked through the space between the two blocks of seats. “I come from a place where herbology is also underestimated, and it is true that plants can be boring, sometimes.”

She turned around and re did the path she made, looking at the students and their desks.

“Do you know any herb or plant a bit more interesting than, let’s say, grass?” She huffed, amused at her own words, and kept pacing.

“Dev… devil’s snare?” Said a timid voice behind her. A boy was looking at her with big blue eyes.

They immediately recognised each other.

“Micael, right?” He nodded, “Devil’s snare! One of my favourites will choke you to death at the first opportunity. It will grab you with its multiple tentacles and won’t let you go…”

She walked to the desk again and hopped on it, sitting with her legs crossed.

“You will learn how to recognise it, how to escape its firm grip if you have the misfortune of encountering one. Come on, more.”

She waited long seconds and observed how they whispered to each other. Afraid of losing control of the class, she kept going,

“Have you ever heard of Venomous tentacula? Its spiky vines will try to trap anything near it. It’s not part of the program, but we can make an exception if you’re interested.”

The girl that spoke to her before murmured something to her classmate on the right, and Kate managed to catch some words.

“Ah, mandrakes. They may seem harmless with their cute little faces…. But listen to their shrieks without protection,” she snapped her fingers in the air, “and you’re history.”

She dropped her hand as she saw the expressions of pure disinterest on their faces and nodded. The clock indicated that there were still thirty minutes left in the class. However, no one had anything else to say.

“Well, you can go now. I promise to have a class ready by Wednesday and we’ll start studying for the exam.”

Everyone left the room as quickly as they could, and Kate looked at their backs as they left. The last kid who left got her attention.

“Michael, can I talk to you?” The boy walked towards her looking at the floor and secured his bag to his shoulder.

“Is it because I haven’t raised my hand to talk? I promise to get it right next time.”

Kate was about to laugh at the absurdity of the phrase when she saw actual fear on Michael’s face and mind.

“No, I’m glad you participated, it made me feel less ridiculous. I wanted to know if you were okay.”

“My wrist doesn’t hurt anymore.” He shifted in his place, still not looking at her.

“That’s not what I meant.” Finally their eyes met. “Are you okay?”

Kate knew the answer and hoped Michael understood what she was asking him. The boy nodded quickly and looked back at the floor.

“I want you to know that in my class you are safe. You can talk without fear and count on me whenever you need to.”

“Do you say that to all the students, or just to me?”

“I say that to everyone. If someone needs help, I’ll give it to them. I thought it was a good idea to let you know now.”

With an almost inaudible “Goodbye” he left Kate alone, taking a deep breath and wondering where she went wrong. 

–

No matter how hard Kate tried to get them to learn something, she was failing as a teacher and so were her students. Few of them managed to answer more than half of the questions correctly, and yet none of them stood out particularly.

The preparation for classes, tests, and the extra hours she had used for individual tutoring had consumed every available hour since she began. She was now wondering how good of an idea it had been.

In addition, the security Astrid had implemented only caused concern among the inhabitants of the castle. Ever since Hodges’ departure, everyone seemed to be tiptoeing around, and that didn’t help her inquiries.

This is not working, Kate thought on the way to the Great Hall, and she wasn’t just referring to her competence as a teacher.

It was the first day of March and Astrid Hodges had called a meeting to inform the entire school about the most important event of the year: The Annual Exposition of Dark Arts, or as they called it, the AEDA. Today the theme, rules and prizes available for those who wished to participate in the competition would be presented.

Neither students nor teachers could hide how excited they were, and you didn’t have to be legilimens to notice.

Kate entered through the already open doors of the room. It was difficult to get to where the other teachers were, but eventually she made it and leaned against the side wall where she had a view of the whole room.

Durmstrang’s policy on the teachers’ uniform was a little more flexible, allowing her to wear her own robes as long as they were an appropriate colour, and she wore the band with the Durmstrang emblem around her chest.

Dressed in black from head to toe, and with her band firmly fastened, she went unnoticed in the crowd, and although it was not something she needed, for some reason she preferred to remain in the shadows.

“You have spoiled me.” said a low voice to her left. Libor Marek looked at her with arms folded.

“How come?”

“You’re the only one who didn’t complain about the explosions in my class. Now it’s getting harder for me to put up with those whiny mediwizards.”

Kate forced a smile that ended up looking like a grimace and waved Marek goodbye, who went off to find a free seat.

After a while, Mer Yankelevich came over too.

“I hear you’ve been having difficulties. You can ask for my advice anytime.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” Absolutely not, she thought.

She saw her leave and approach Marek. They had a brief conversation until he made a dismissive gesture for her to leave.

“Attention please, sit down, sit down.” Astrid Rhode pointed her wand at her throat and her voice was amplified all over the place.

After a while, everyone in the room was sitting down and ready to listen to what Headmistress Rhode had to say.

“For those of you who don’t know, every year the largest exhibition of dark arts in Europe is held at our school. Not only is it a magnificent event to enjoy, but also a valuable learning opportunity.”

A strange feeling made Kate frown. She stopped listening to Rhode’s words and opened her mind while looking around.

It was something she’d never felt before, as if a mind would just shut down and turn on again.

By the window, Leron Angelov was sitting in a chair looking at the ground. Kate bowed her head and waited for something to happen.

He grabbed the sides of the chair firmly and looked up at Astrid again, but without loosening his fists.

“Whether or not you decide to enter the competition, I encourage you to attend the event. Wizards from all over the world come to Durmstrang for this reason alone, and it’s a unique opportunity to make contacts or find your professional path.”

Kate stopped looking at Astrid again and met Jorgensen’s eyes for a split of a second. He immediately looked away and pretended to listen to the headmistress.

She shook her head slightly and couldn’t believe that Jorgensen thought she hadn’t caught him staring at her.

“Each and every one of you has until the first day of April to register and until the 15th of June to submit a project. We consider that this is enough time. Now, the theme this year will be: The Art of Transfiguration.”

Astrid waited for the murmurs to stop before continuing her speech, but Kate was distracted again.

She searched through the hundreds of faces around her, but both Angelov and Jorgensen were gone. No one noticed when Kate slipped through the crowd and left the room as well.

She looked to both sides and to her right she saw a cape shaking behind a corner. She trotted over there, but when she turned, she found no one.

The corridors were empty.

A flutter alerted her, and she turned to meet an owl flying in her direction. As it passed over her head, it dropped a card with Durmstrang’s stamps on it.

Katherine Williams has mail in the owlery

She looked again into the empty corridor and with a sigh went to the main gates to leave the castle.

_Dear Kate,_

_We’ve had difficulties locating you, however we’ve decided not to charge you for all the inconvenience you have caused us._

_Please accept this well-meaning gift, which is part of our Weasley catalogue._

_Be aware of the honour of trying one of our most exclusive items. We accept a review and 10,000 galleons as compensation._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Gred and Forge_

Kate looked at the package with suspicion but opened it, anyway. It was long, like one of Ollivander’s boxes.

After removing a velvet cloth, she touched the wand with her index finger to check that it wouldn’t explode and when she felt more secure; she grabbed it.

“It’s not terrible quality.” She said to herself and pointed to a feather on the ground with it, “Merlin help me… Wingardium Leviosa.”

The stick flew out of her hand and into the air. As if it was playing an invisible drum, but replaced by her head, the wand began hitting her. She shrieked and all the owls in the tower started to get agitated; some flew off in all directions.

Slapping one hand in the air and laughing endlessly, she reached into her robe to find her real wand, as she tried to escape the Weasley’s trick item. 

As soon as it stopped, she would immediately write to them so that Charlie could also receive a surprise gift.


	10. Feels Like Home

“I snuck out some tea from the kitchens.”

Kate left two teacups and a teapot on a small table in a corner of the first floor of the library.

Corentin raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not my first time.” She sat down in front of him with a small smile and nodded, letting Corentin serve the tea.

“Well… how’s life as a librarian?”

“Busier than it might seem. I’m constantly learning. So, I hear you’re a teacher now.”

Kate wrinkled her nose and took a sip of her drink.

“Attempt to be… with poor results. Let’s change the subject, I need to think about something else. Tell me about yourself.”

Corentin drank from his cup and looked up, pretending to think.

“Let’s see, I have a sister, Arlette, who lives in Lyon. She is an artist. That painting over there is hers.”

Kate turned and twisted her neck to see the painting hanging on the wall. It was a tree among mountains of snowy peaks with long branches that, instead of leaves, hung tiny books that opened and closed.

“The landscape changes with the seasons and the books come and go from the canvas according to the flow of the library books.

“Your sister is a genius.” She commented, admiring the painting.

“I will make sure she never hears that; we must not feed her ego.”

Amidst her laughter, Kate gasped and Corentin silently admonished her for being too loud.

She reached inside the cape and took out the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

“At last. Something more suitable for your age next time, perhaps?

“It took me a long time, I know, I didn’t have time. But I think I’ve understood. You told me that the key to Grindelwald’s power was in this book. And one of the stories caught my attention.”

“Well?”

“The fountain of fair fortune. Three witches and a knight are chosen to make a wish to the fountain of good fortune. On the way, they encounter different challenges. They must deliver three things: the proof of their pain, the fruit of their efforts, and the treasure of their past.

The librarian patiently drank his tea while Kate spoke.

“Leaving aside the moral, if that fountain were to come into existence, did Grindelwald manage to find it to ask for power? And the experiments he was doing here in Durmstrang, were those sacrifices?”

Kate stared at Corentin, excited by her reasoning and waiting for his approval.

“I like the way your mind works, but you’ve got the wrong tale.” Kate deflated and finished what was left of her tea in the cup.

Corentin raised an arm and a scroll and a quill flew at them. With graceful fingers, he drew a circle on the paper.

“The resurrection stone.” With three lines, he wrapped the circle. “The cloak of invisibility.” And finally, a single straight line crossed both figures. “The Elder Wand. They are called: the Deathly Hallows.”

Kate’s brow jumped to her hairline thinking about the column in the courtyard, but then she looked at Corentin in confusion. “Do they exist?”

“You were willing to believe that there was a fountain that grants wishes, weren’t you?” Kate shrugged her head in agreement.

“I know that Gellert believed in them and that he spent the time here in Durmstrang looking for them. And I have the impression that, some time later, he found at least one.”

“The older brother’s wand.” Corentin nodded.

“The mark on that column has nothing to do with him. People began to associate him with it, and he never denied it.”

She sighed and looked up at the centre of the tower where the enormous chandelier hanging high in the air sparkled.

“Williams. You must understand that if you tell this to anyone, you will look like a fool. No one believes that they exist because they have never been found.”

“Then why are you telling me?”

“Because you asked me and I’m telling you what I believe.”

They continued to drink tea in pleasant silence while Kate thought about the importance of this new information.

Nothing that Corentin was telling her served her well in her mission and, although it was true that curiosity got the better of her, the whole thing was a dead end.

Just before she was about to return the tea set to the kitchens, Corentin stopped her.

“I don’t know if you know this already, but there’s a greenhouse behind the castle.” Kate’s eyes rounded. “Flavia wasn’t using it, but you might be interested.”

“Corentin, you don’t know how happy you’ve just made me now.”

“And Kate… do you want another piece of advice?“ She nodded, "be the teacher you wish you had.”

–

A greenhouse. A greenhouse that no one had told her about. It was a mistake on her part not to have insisted on it.

This was exactly what she needed: having something to put a little green in her life, to feel the earth in her hands, to water flowers and to see them grow.

After sneaking back into the kitchens to return the teapot, she went to the place Corentin had indicated to her right by the lake.

It was quite far from the castle and it was abandoned, Professor Hodges didn’t use it for her classes, and that showed in the students’ knowledge.

With a look full of hope, she ventured inside the building.

She walked through the rubble, full of broken pots and dry leaves. The plants that were there were dead except for the ivy that had worked its way through the broken glass on the roof.

“I must cut that down.” She muttered to herself.

She ran her hand over the wooden table. It was in good condition, not a single splinter, and the varnish was practically intact. It was big enough to teach all the children at once.

She inspected every cabinet and drawer, taking inventory of the material and equipment she had. She could give a decent lesson with those instruments and was looking forward to that.

She looked around once more and, filled with joy, she was soon trying to put on one overall she found over the dress. Luckily, it was loose enough.

After making a bun with a rubber band, she armed herself with a pair of pruning shears and a ladder and climbed up to the glass roof to get rid of the ivy which covered the inside of the building.

The hours passed, and the morning turned into evening faster than she would have wished. For the first time since she had been at Durmstrang, she felt at home.

From the top of the dome and with her wand between her teeth, she admired the colours of the sky. It looked like a freshly painted canvas, one of Badeea’s paintings.

She was mesmerised for a few minutes, during which she began to feel the effects of a whole day’s hard work. She massaged her thighs and threw away the last branch of ivy she had in her hand before going back down into the greenhouse.

She picked up her wand and with a wave of the hand all the crushed glass on the floor flew to their rightful place, recomposing the roof and walls.

The broom that she had bewitched a few hours ago rested beside the mountain of leaves and dust that waited to be picked up by the door.

Kate looked at her work with satisfaction, and though it might have taken much less time to restore the building completely with magic, the manual labour also restored her spirit and soul.

She circled the centre table and headed for the flowerpots in the closet at the end of the room.

She decided that removing weeds and changing the soil was part of the experience of learning herbology, so she just removed the dust and cobwebs to save her students some work.

Her students. It was a curious phrase. She had never seen herself as a teacher. It was Rowan who did that work, not her. After seeing the essays that they had done, she had no hope of improving her teaching skills until that point.

The opportunity to be able to interact with the plants they had been studying would perhaps make them all less miserable and might even get them to learn something. Getting them to be interested in the subject was going to be a more laborious task.

Charlie would be a brilliant teacher, with that infinite patience he has, she thought.

A wave of melancholy washed over her unexpectedly.

Oh, how she missed him. It was usual to go for an entire day without seeing each other, or speaking, each one busy with their respective work, but both knew that the time would come to meet for dinner and share their day amidst laughter and kisses.

Now that was impossible.

As she let her mind torture her, she had not realised that she had begun to stir the soil with her fingers and that in turn, all those thoughts were channelled into the pot, making a small orange flower grow. She was startled to feel the warmth of magic in her fingers reaching the flower.

Her eyes suddenly blurred, and without being able to avoid it, one tear after another ran down her cheeks and made their way down her throat.

She sniffled and then grunted, feeling stupid. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and with a sad smile, picked up the flower that had reminded her of Charlie to keep it between the pages of her journal.

Just as she was picking up her coat to leave, the door to the greenhouse opened.

Too early for the moon to appear, the light coming from the castle was not strong enough to identify the figure that had just entered, so she approached the table with a quick ‘Lumos’.

“Professor Angelov!”

The secretive transfigurations teacher was startled to hear his name. It was clear he didn’t expect to find anyone there.

“What happened here?” he sounded strangely offended, even though Kate had done in one day the work that should have been done in months.

“I repaired the building. I plan to use it for my classes,” she hesitated to criticise Durmstrang’s teaching system to a professor, but her mouth went ahead of her brain and she wasn’t quick enough to stop it. “as it should have been done.”

Angry eyes shone in the light of her wand.

Kate put aside the reason for Leron’s visit to the greenhouse and focused on deciphering his anger. Even her legilimens skills couldn’t figure out its origin. She could only pick up confusion and… fear?

Angelov did not bother to say another word to her and with a movement of his cloak, which reminded Kate of her former potions teacher, he strode out into the night.

–

The next day, Kate decided to put to good use the new and improved greenhouse and took her students through the grounds of Durmstrang.

“I think you’re going to love this. Well, at least I’m excited.”

She waved her wand to keep all fifteen books in the air as she walked down the path to her students.

There was a lot of grunting and snorting when Kate told them they would not be in the classroom that day, but she was convinced that a little natural light and playing with dirt would change their mood.

“We’re almost there. I know you were bored the other day, and so was I, so…”

Kate stopped in front of the glass building and showed it off with her arm outstretched.

Several students exchanged glances, others stared at her, waiting for instructions.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Are we going to have a class here?” asked one girl.

“Indeed, Dana, we’ll do three hours a week here: one on Wednesday and two on Friday, what do you think?”

“That this place is dangerous.” Said Jon Hopkins.

“Ah, but that’s not true anymore. Come on, let’s go inside.” The sparkle in her eyes went unnoticed by the students who, skeptical of the change of scenery, entered behind her.

Kate surrounded the long central table where she left her books and headed for the end of the room. She waited for everyone to finish looking around and pile in with her.

“Lesson number one: safety. In that cupboard over there there are overalls for everyone, I’ve washed them, of course, so take one all and put it on over your uniform. There are also protective gloves. Take a pair too.”

Michael Angelov went to the table and took out a scroll to write something down. One of his companions looked at his writing and began to laugh.

“Are you going to write down everything she says?” The others laughed with him.

“Who knows, it might be an exam question. I recommend that you do the same. Memory can be treacherous.”

As they reluctantly left their bags and backpacks, the speech continued.

“You are responsible for your new work clothes. We will use potions, spells and dangerous plants, the suit will protect you and it is vital that you wear it. If someone is not wearing the suit, they cannot enter; if someone is not wearing gloves, they cannot enter and I will be very strict about this”.

She indicated that they should sit around the table, each on a stool.

“Lesson number two: know what materials are available. In the drawer in front of your seat there are: a small shovel, tweezers, garden shears, a spray and a brush”.

She left a moment for everyone to rummage through their drawers and continued.

“You are also responsible for the material. Before and after a class everyone should check that they have everything and put them in the drawer. I want you to write down the date and the list of your material.”

Everyone was silent, clearly confused about what they were doing. Kate went around the table, giving some directions and helping those who seemed to need it.

“Lesson number three: know what you are going to do.” As she waved her wand, the books placed on the table flew to each student.

“Today we’ll focus on the first part of Lesson Five: recognising soil types. This was part of the last test, and it’s clear that I didn’t prepare you enough for it. It’s important that you know how to do this because it’s fundamental. Make a note of the purpose of this practical class. I would have liked to do this earlier, but… that’s the way it is.”

As the children opened their books and whispered to each other, Kate handed out a tray with three small pots of different types of soil. Each with a label with a letter: A, B and C.

“Try to identify the three pots with the help of the book.” She said when she finished.

“Ah!” a little girl, Greta Eberhardt exclaimed. “There’s something in my pot!”

“It’s called earth, silly.” Replied her partner.

Kate came over to inspect Greta’s tray. Something bright blue was buried. She took one of the tweezers from the table and pulled it out.

“It’s a billywig. See the wings coming out of its head? Don’t worry; it’s dead.”

Not only did the wings catch the children’s attention but also the long, pointed sting of the torso.

She stared at the insect for a long time and looked up when it became silent in the greenhouse. Such discipline cannot be healthy, she thought, as she saw them reading or sticking their fingers in the pots without looking up.

“How quiet you are… I never said that you cannot work as a team.”

–

That evening Kate sat in her room drowned in pieces of parchment, both her students’ work and her notes from her mission.

She returned her attention to Vivien Argar, the name that was written on top of the paper, and sighed when she noticed that her assignment was two parchments longer than it should have been.

Kate put her quill down and pinched her nose, her thoughts returning to the Order. She considered Kent Jorgensen and wondered what kind of business he had going on with Leron Angelov.

Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions, letting her suspicions cloud the logic, but she could have sworn that they left the Great Hall together when Astrid Rhode was giving her speech. She never confirmed it.

Several taps on a glass caught her attention. 

A red bird was standing outside the window and demanded to enter the room.

“Fawkes?” She hurried to the window and opened it, allowing the phoenix to enter. He circled her and screeched while she closed the window again.

“I know, I know! How demanding…” Kate grabbed a blank piece of parchment off the floor, made a ball with it and set it on fire before conjuring it to be suspended in the air at ground level.

Fawkes cuddled up near it and let out a grateful tweet. 

“What do you have in there?” She said, noticing the roll of paper that Fawkes guarded in his claws. She tried to grab it but Fawkes hid it between his feathers, opened his beak and stayed that way for a while.

Kate rolled her eyes and walked to the closet to look for the small bowl where she kept a roll of spellotape and some quill tips.

She emptied it and conjured some water before bringing it to an impatient Fawkes. He lowered his head in a small reverence and extended his open claw for Kate to inspect.

“Always want something in return, huh? It is true that pets are like their masters…” Fawkes huffed and sipped from his water, ignoring her.

She unrolled the tube to find two pieces of parchment. The first one had a short sentence.

Trust him in the woods.

“Great. I didn’t have enough with what I had.” she complained out loud.

She unrolled the second paper, but to her disappointment it was blank.

She left the parchments on the bed and sat down at her desk again, trying to resume her work, but Fawkes got up and flew to her shoulder. He bit a strand of her hair and tugged.

“I don’t have anything for you to eat, Fawkes.” The phoenix ignored her comment and kept on pulling at her hair until she turned around. 

“Alright, that’s quite enough!” Fawkes flew to the bed and stood on the blank parchment, tapping it several times with his beak.

Kate took a deep breath before approaching the bird.

She grabbed her wand and pointed at the paper before murmuring ‘Revelio’.

A black line started to appear, drawing an uneven path that rounded the parchment and ended in the same spot that started. A cross appeared in the upper corner of the deformed oval. It wasn’t a circle or any geometrical figure; it looked like…

“A map.” she whispered. The question was, a map of what? The figure consisted in a single contorted line. There was nothing inside of it, just a cross. She turned around again and winced at the sight of her desk. With a flick of the wrist, all the pieces of parchment of the table flew around to settle down in tidy piles on one side of the desk.

She let herself fall backwards onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

With only one candle flickering in the room, the darkened atmosphere made her want to close her eyes, and she did, letting her exhaustion take over her.


	11. Gellert

Learning the theory behind a spell was always a tedious work, she’d been a student and knew the feeling. However, it was a lesson that needed to be taught despite everyone’s protests.

She realised that she had created an escape refugee with her classes, allowing the children to do and say things they weren’t allowed with other professors. Durmstrang itself was a strict school, and she noticed how the students’ rigid discipline relaxed a bit in her classroom. Sometimes it could get out of control.

When she finished drawing the movement of the fire-making spell, she turned around to find several children leaning on their elbows. One boy next to the window was sleeping and a group in the back was sending each other flying pieces of paper.

She looked at the Flitterbloom on the desk, and an idea started to form in her head. She moved her wand slightly, and the plant started to grow uncontrollably; the roots broke the vase and its vines squirmed their way down the desk, growing with every second.

“Professor Williams!” At a girl’s desperate scream, other students started to get nervous as well, but when they saw that Kate had her arms crossed and didn’t intend to help, panic settled among them.

Some students got up and ran to the door, but Kate closed it from where she stood.

“There’s a situation that requires everyone’s attention! Imagine this happened in your house. Would you run out the door and leave? Let it destroy your home and your belongings? Imagine it’s a Devil’s Snare.”

The bush kept growing, now moving to the windows. 

“Are you going to let it escape to the castle?”

One of the girls that sat on the first row got up and quickly closed the window, avoiding a gigantic root behind her. Somebody shouted ‘Colloportus!’ And the windows of the other side of the room closed hermetically as well.

“Well done, you saved the school, now you need to save yourselves! And I told you how!” Kate jumped over a vine. The students started climbing on their desks.

She saw how Micael Angelov ended up with his back pressed against a wall, she saw him looking at her and then the blackboard and proceeded to shout ‘Incendio!’.

Part of the plant burst into flames, consuming the vine and part of the root, giving hope to some students were near him.

In a moment, all of them attempted to cast the spell, some of them succeeding quite masterfully.

Kate approached a girl and tilted her wrist to the left, making a flame shoot out of her wand with such a force that she stumbled. “Perfect!”

They continued to do so until Kate decided to stop to correct some errors after returning the plant to its original state.

She let her students finish copying what was written on the board and started handing out a roll of parchment to each one.

“These are copies of an article I found in a gardening magazine in the library. I want you to read it and write down any mistakes you find. In the greenhouse we will follow the instructions the article proposes to transplant Flitterbottoms and see why it is wrong”.

When the class ended Kate began to hang up the drawings of the different plants and flowers that she had asked them to make while the children collected their belongings. She could not help but overhear a conversation taking place near the door.

“First years never take part…” said a girl. Kate looked at her and took the piece of spellotape out of her mouth.

“And why is that? Everybody can participate.” The girl just shrugged.

“My brother says that with the knowledge of the other students, first years don’t have a chance of winning.”

“The question is: would you like to take part?” There was silence for a moment, but soft murmurs started to fill the place. Kate could hear some ‘It would be fun’ or ‘nice’ among some ‘no’ and puffs.

“Don’t underestimate plants. Look around you, I bet we can find something that could fit the theme of the contest. If you want to write your name on a piece of parchment and I will inscribe you.”

Micael Angelov said goodbye with a shy smile and disappeared out the door.

Kate had not seen any marks or bruises on Micael’s face since that day in the quidditch pitch, so she was partially relieved, and he seemed more comfortable as the weeks went by. They were getting better, and so was she.

As she finished hanging up the drawings, and with all the students already out of class, sounds of commotion were heard outside the room.

She looked out the window and saw Astrid Rhode’s worried face as she tried to disperse the crowd that had gathered outside.

Rhode turned and their gazes met; she motioned to Kate to come closer, and she obeyed.

“Now what has happened?” she sighed.

Astrid pointed to the column of Grindelwald’s mark, which now looked very different from when she first saw it: a crack ran halfway down the length of the pillar and was blackened at the bottom. She touched the broken stone with her middle finger and she perceived a buzzing sensation 

“It was done with magic…”

Rhode was too busy trying to get the students to disperse to respond, but Kate didn’t need confirmation. Something inside her was telling her that it wasn’t a student prank or an accident.

–

She kept her diary inside her cape and took Dumbledore’s map with her to inspect on her way to the library. Each step was a disappointment after another as nothing happened.

When she arrived, she kept it next to her little notebook. She went to ring the bell but stopped before doing so. She had bothered Corentin enough.

She went upstairs floor by floor, read all the posters in the different sections, but could not find what she was looking for.

A hunch had led her to think that perhaps she should give the Grindelwald affair a chance and, she hoped, she could find documents that would give her a clue. For the moment, her efforts were not fruitful. She was inspecting the third floor when a black cloud appeared beside her and evaporated, showing Corentin.

Kate gave a start and took her hand to her heart.

“Don’t do that!” The librarian just smiled.

“Why haven’t you called me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Nonsense. Look at you, you’re like a headless chicken all over the place, messing up my library.”

Kate huffed a laugh.

“Did you hear what happened?”

“On the mark? Yes.”

“I need access to the Durmstrang history. Do you have…files or something?”

“What are you getting at?” Kate shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

Corentin suggested that she accompany him and together they went up the last set of stairs.. At the top, more books covered the walls.

He approached the end of the room and after airing his wand in an intricate manner, the block of shelves fell away from the wall, revealing scrolls of parchment and folders.

“Here you will find archives from 1894 to 1899. As well as all the editions of the DD.” Seeing Kate’s face, he corrected, “the Daily Durmstrang, the newspaper. Karkarov removed it from the curriculum. But I believe that Rhode wants to implement it again. If you want to find something about Deathly Hallows, this is not the place.”

“No. I want to know more about him. I think… I don’t know… maybe it’s stupid. I don’t even know what I want to find.”

“Then get comfortable. You’ll be here for a while.”

And Corentin was not wrong.

For weeks she went to the library to review those documents. She didn’t go every afternoon, just as her schedule allowed. Planning classes, preparing activities for the greenhouse, correcting homework and reading the syllabus she was going to teach took up most of his time.

But the afternoons she had free time she used to go up to the top floor of the library and sit at the small table in the corner to examine all the scrolls she could find.

She read entries from the Daily Durmstrang newspaper, a very interesting activity that she would have liked to see implemented at Hogwarts, about changes in teachers, subjects, quidditch events and about AEDA. At the moment, Grindelwald did not appear. She also found employment contracts, building renovation orders, and dance brochures.

On one of her trips to the library, she thought she saw Mer Yankelevich and Libor Marek talking alone in a corridor. This reminded her of the day Flavia Hodges left Durmstrang.

_Three guards escorted her to the carriage. Kate watched the scene from the bridge with her arms crossed as Rhode said goodbye._

_The rest of the teachers were also there, and although the students were not allowed to come near, Kate knew that their faces were glued to the windows._

_Rhode gestured to her and Kate crossed the bridge to get closer._

_“I think I’ve forgotten the potions you gave me.” said Flavia with a small mouth. Kate nodded and promised to come back as soon as possible with the bottles._

_The castle was empty and very quiet, which allowed her to run to the hospital wing. On the way back, she heard footsteps coming from the hall and the main door closing._

_When she identified Libor Marek’s voice, she stopped short before turning the corner._

_“You haven’t left me alone since Karkarov left. Don’t try to drag me into your affairs, they don’t interest me.”_

_“But…”_

_Impatient to find out who he was talking to, she kept walking, looking at the ground and pressing Flavia’s potions to her chest, pretending not to hear anything. Yankelevich and Marek were shocked to see her pass by. She looked up and asked innocently,_

_“The carriage hasn’t left yet, has it?”_

_The charms teacher hid her concern with a smile._

_“No, I think they’re waiting for you.”_

_“Ah, perfect.” She sighed in supposed relief and without bothering to look for her wand, he quickly aired a hand to open the door and leave the castle._

Distracted by the memory, she didn’t hear Corentin approaching from behind until she saw his shadow on the table.

She jumped up as she turned and saw his slim figure in a black suit.

“Will you stop that?”

Corentin ignored her and read the documents on the table over her shoulder.

“Have you found anything of interest?”

“Maybe now I’ll start doing it. These folders are from his last year here.”

“If you need anything, you know where I am.” Just as she thanked him, he transformed himself into his bat form and flew to the chandelier.

Kate put her head in one hand and with the other she squeezed one side of her belly, where it hurt. Forgetting to take the potion on the first day of her period was a serious mistake.

Tired of searching, she momentarily forgot the purpose of all the trips to the library and was reading an article in the Daily Durmstrang about the creatures that lived in the lakes. She turned the page lazily, wanting to finish the seemingly endless article.

As she laid eyes on the next page, she jumped up.

_Gellert Grindelwald: king of the AEDA, by J.M. Nilsen. June 1899_

_Grindelwald, a sixth-grade student, turned up hopefully at Europe’s most famous dark arts competition, not knowing what its outcome would be._

_The first of his class, hardworking and tenacious, are some of the many qualities that have led him to this glorious victory. The question is, which project did he do that will undoubtedly win the competition?_

_This year’s theme for the AEDA was challenging and confusing to many: Bottled Death._

_After much thought, this student decided to take the meaning of this challenge literally. And that is that he has managed, for the first time in history, to catch a real obscurus in a glass container._

_No one knows exactly where he has found such a creature, and it has been a project that has been very frowned upon._

_However, despite the complaints and unanswered questions from the jury, they have been forced to give him first place, for the most spectacular feat seen in Durmstrang’s history._

_Wizards and witches from all over the world have been impressed with the young Grindelwald mentioning that not only is he destined to do incredible things but that Durmstrang’s reputation will remain high for centuries._

_It is rumoured that Grindelwald has been offered several deals from different magic ministries, but the truth of these facts is not known at this time._

_In any case, Gellert still has a promising year at school ahead of him. What other wonders will he be able to achieve?_

Kate’s eyes were wide open. At the end of the article there was a photo with a smiling Grindelwald in the trophy room, holding his cup tightly and looking proudly at his creation, displayed in a glass case. The light from various flashes moved in the photograph.

She blinked several times and looked out the small window on her right, hoping that the piece of sky in sight would give her the ability to connect points in her mind.

She stood up and frantically searched the archives from the previous year, where she thought she remembered seeing a particularly striking document. Triumphant, she found the scroll she was looking for and unrolled it.

Erik Aaberg missing.

The poster also had a photo attached.

She shook her head and returned to the 1899 documentation and continued to turn the pages of the newspaper.

_Accident in the trophy room_

_A new subject!_

_Uniforms: practicality or oppression?_

_A student appears at the lake: a near-death experience._

_Grindelwald expelled._

“Oh, Merlin…” she murmured. She collapsed on the chair and looked at the papers scattered on the table. She ran her hand over her mouth and stroked her lip with a finger, deep in thought.

She was reading the last of the articles when Corentin appeared again.

“You look worried.”

“Corentin…” she extended the text about the obscurus to him. “Do you remember this?”

Corentin flashed his eyes across the paper, reading the article, and made an “o” shape with his mouth and then frowned.

“I can’t believe I’ve forgotten this… Erik Aaberg I think…” Kate passed him the missing person sign and Corentin nodded.

“Corentin… he almost killed him…”

“I know.”

“It’s hard to think a child could do something like that… because he was really a child. He did more things like this, didn’t he?”

“He sure did…” Kate leaned back in her chair and looked at Corentin as he read.

A twitch of the eyes. A lick across her lips. A raise of the brow.

“Where?”

“Where what?” Asked a confused Corentin.

“Well, he had to do all the experiments somewhere, didn’t he? In his bedroom?”

The librarian left the paper in his hand on the table before shaking his head.

“I don’t think so, no. But…” Without another word, he turned around and Kate saw him heading across the room, opened a shelf and searched with her index finger until she found what she was looking for. He returned with a very heavy book.

“They used to keep a record of classroom loans, they stopped doing that in 1940, don’t ask me why.”

He put the book on the table and before Kate could protest that she wouldn’t spend another week rummaging through the archives, Corentin opened it and waved his wand.

“Grindelwald.” He said to the book.

The cover opened, and the pages were flipped frantically until it was closed again. Corentin tried “Gellert” but the book did the same.

“He didn’t use any class.”

“How can we be sure of this? He tried to kill a boy, I think he would also be capable of not signing up for a record book.” Corentin sighed and looked at her not knowing what to say.

“I have… I have the feeling that it is important to know where he was doing it.”

“Why should it be?”

“I don’t know. It’s a very strange feeling… I’m sure that’s the way it is, but I can’t make sense of it.”

He looked at her carefully for a moment. 

“The times I’ve ignored my instincts, I didn’t get the play right.” He said at last. “But answer me this…”

“Sure.”

“What’s the use of tracking Gellert?”

Kate looked at both sides but, although they were alone on that floor, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

She took out her diary and opened it at the end, tore out the last page and put it back. With a quill from the desk, she wrote, “

There is a Death Eater in Durmstrang

Corentin read it, and after raising his eyebrows, he shook his wand again and the paper broke into a thousand pieces in the air.

“That’s why you’re here.” It wasn’t a question, but Kate nodded anyway.

“I can’t tell you anything else.”

“I don’t need to know.” After a pause, she added, “Do you think it has anything to do with Gellert?”

A shadow crossed her expression. Voldemort would return, it wasn’t unreasonable to think the other most powerful dark wizard in history might be involved. That he was in prison would not be an obstacle.

“It could be, yes.”

“There are tunnels in the castle.” He said out of the blue. “It’s an extensive network that Nerida Vulcanova built in case it was necessary to protect the children. It’s possible… there may also be secret rooms.”

Kate jumped up.

“There are maps? Plans of the castle?”

“Yes, there’s only one problem: only Nerida Vulcanova knows how to read them.”

After tidying up and thanking Corentin for all his help, she left the library with a twinkle in her eye.

The search for Voldemort’s follower was proving frustrating and with no results. With this new goal in mind, she exchanged one dark wizard for another, but deep inside she knew that there was a connection that, for the moment, she was unable to see.

As she walked through the lonely corridors of the castle, she reached into her inner pocket to pull out her wand and give a little more light to her path.

In the attempt, all the papers she had there, flew away and were left scattered on the floor.

“Merlin…” She bent down to pick them up and panicked when she couldn’t find Dumbledore’s supposed map. She sighed with relief when she saw it a little further down on the ground.

Something caught her attention.

Kate picked up the map and saw that it had a small black line drawn on it and she could put her hand in the fire swearing that it wasn’t there before.

When she turned to go to her bedroom, the line disappeared as if someone was erasing it from the paper. She stopped short and stared at the scroll, then around her and back at the map again.

She took a step back, and when a dot appeared on the paper, her heart began to race. She turned around again and moved forward a bit more, watching with enormous eyes as a black line drew itself with each step. When she stopped, so did the line.

However, something curious happened next; as she continued walking, the line did not move. She changed course and turned into a corridor. The line twisted with her.

Kate continued along the ground floor of the castle for a while, trying every turn and every hallway until she reached the main gate. She looked at the map again, at some point the line of the path she had left behind had erased. Trying, unsuccessfully, not to make a sound when she opened the door, she slipped outside.

The night was quiet; the wind whistled through the trees and Kate’s footsteps echoed as she walked.

She turned left towards the greenhouse, but nothing happened; she took the path on the right, which led to the back of the castle, but the map remained empty.

As she walked towards the bridge, the line appeared and as she stared at the path that went into the darkness of the forest; she remembered the other paper that Dumbledore had sent her,

_Trust him in the woods._


	12. Appare Vestigium

Kate felt the coolness of the night on her lips and decided to enter the castle again. A chill ran through her body and had nothing to do with the icy breeze that crossed the threshold of the door behind her.

She folded all the scrolls as best she could and slipped them into the inside pocket where her notebook was before she started walking back to her room.

She climbed the main stairs slower than usual; many thoughts came into her mind: the danger that lurked in the recesses of the castle; the responsibility she felt to keep her students safe from a potential killer; the idea of Igor Karkarov wandering around the place even though no one had seen him; the goal of finding a secret room that only two people knew about: one had been dead for several centuries and the other was a serial killer in prison.

Overwhelmed by not knowing what her next step should be, she stopped on the first floor and gripped the staircase railing. She took a couple of deep breaths and looked down.

A shadow quickly crept down the corridor on the lower floor, but before it could disappear, it stopped short.

Candlelight showed Kent Jorgensen’s face changing from an alarmed expression to one of surprise. Kate bowed her head in greeting and hurried off towards the top of the building. She had no intention of engaging in a conversation with anyone in the castle.

She was about to reach the first floor when she saw Jorgensen again at the foot of the stairs. Her heart was racing.

She couldn’t think of anything else but hiding, so she followed her instinct and turned the corner before bending over, letting the shadows do the rest of the work. She saw the teacher looking at the place where she had been a few seconds earlier and followed a corridor in the opposite direction.

Kate let go of the breath she was holding and ran to the safety of her room. She placed her chair under the doorknob and immediately felt like an idiot. She had felt watched before, but the accumulation of things that had been happening to her since she arrived had finally had the expected effect.

Without thinking, she grabbed the quill and a scroll and, standing up, began to write,

_Dear Charlie,_

_For the first time… I felt fear._

She returned the quill to the inkwell and crumpled up what was going to be a letter and threw it on the floor. She sat down on the bed and went over her notes.

She jumped to her feet again, remembering that she had to prepare the greenhouse activity for the lesson.

In the days that followed, many questions remained unanswered; who was waiting in the woods? Someone from the castle? It was a man, that was clear. When did she have to go? The note did not specify a specific time. How long did she have to wait for that person to contact her? Would anyone contact her at all?

Her students noticed her absence and took advantage of her distracted mind to get out of some responsibilities and leave greenhouse chores unattended. If Professor Williams was not aware of it or simply overlooked it, they did not know.

Kate visited Corentin to distract herself from Dumbledore’s map, but her spirits fell when she remembered that she had to investigate Nerida Vulchanova’s plans.

When Corentin laid them out before her, she almost decided to drop the whole thing. He didn’t exaggerate when he said that only Vulcanova knew how to move through the tunnels. The blueprints of the building were composed of twelve scrolls, four had symbols and numbers, four contained fragments of rooms, and the rest showed each floor of the castle.

“How do you know this is belongs here?” She said holding a blank scroll except for a small triangle in one corner.

“I have no idea. It was on top of the others. It could be anything….”

Kate inspected the first document, marked “the ground floor” of the building. She smiled a little and held the scroll up to her nose.

“I like the way it smells. Sweet.” Corentin raised an eyebrow at the comment and sat down next to her.

“I know there is one in this room. But it only connects to the first floor of the library,” he said, pointing to the circle representing the tower where they were, “Sometimes I use it to surprise first graders.”

She turned the paper to place the library drawing in front of her, and Corentin pointed at the symbol of a staircase.

“Where is it?”

“Right behind my desk. Behind the curtain.”

Kate held the map of the ground floor and followed the librarian to his desk. He pulled back the curtain, and they heard a faint sound of chains as the wall opened. A torch lit up the interior.

“That staircase leads to section C on the first floor.”

Kate entered the narrow nook and found that to her left was a staircase that led to the upper floor. To her right, there was only one wall.

“Tsk. I need the other scroll perhaps… or… I better go now. I have to grade some assignments, clean up the greenhouse, go to class, meet with Rhode, and go to…”

They had come back to the table while Kate was talking and started to collect the scrolls. She decided not to comment on the cryptic message Dumbledore had sent her.

She considered telling the headmistress in case she thought she knew the person she had to trust in the forest.

Could it be Corentin? No, he wasn’t the kind of person to hang out with a man like Dumbledore.

“What a tight schedule.” Kate took a deep breath and let the air out heavily.

“Yes… and now this…” She gasped and looked at Corentin with round eyes “And the AEDA! I must check the list…”

The librarian grimaced at her tone of voice, but was reassuring in his speech.

“We don’t have to do this…”

“Yes. I must. I have the impression that someone is also looking for Grindelwald’s room. We are not the only ones who know about the existence of the passages.”

Kent Jorgensen and his evening walks, Mer Yankelevich and her mysterious affairs that Libor Marek knew about, Leron Angelov and his entrance to the greenhouse, all the hours when no one knew anything about Cassandra Steiner…

Any of them could be looking for that room. Any of them could be a Death Eater.

“I’ll keep them safe.” he said, pressing the scrolls to his chest.

Kate said goodbye to Corentin and went to Class 82 to pick up the list she had hung for her students to write their names on.

“I hope they have an idea of what to do…” she said to herself before arriving.

She passed by Grindelwald’s column, now surrounded by a magic barrier to prevent it from collapsing through the crack, and continued on to the classroom.

Before entering, she saw two guards talking at a shift change in front of the lake. She hurried to pick up the scroll hanging on the other side of the door and read the names on it. Micael Angelov was the first on the list, followed by only two other students. Perhaps they could consider working together.

She went to the desk and after leaving the list on the table; she took the scrolls out of the top drawer and set about correcting their writing. She had an hour before the herbology class started.

Kate raced against time and ran to the other side of the castle on her way to the greenhouse, in vain, as she did not manage to get there in time.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” She exclaimed as she walked to the end of the central table. She left the scrolls on top of the wood.

“Professor Williams, you’re not wearing your overalls!” exclaimed a boy as he pointed his finger at her.

“You’re absolutely right, Jon, but you’re going to have to turn a blind eye for a moment. These are your essays.” As she said this, everyone got up to find theirs and Kate slipped into the wardrobe to put on her work clothes.

The sound of papers crumpling up under her cape reminded her of the many things she had to do after that class. Dumbledore’s map was burning in her pocket.

“I’ve made a list of the mistakes that have been repeated the most. I want to start by doing the transplant exercise again…”

Several grunts showed their dissatisfaction. She heard some murmurs saying things like “we’ve done that a thousand times already”, “it’s boring” or “we haven’t done anything else lately”.

“Do you want to do something different today?” Kate asked, resting her hip on the table. “Do you have something in mind?” Nobody answered. Kate observed how they looked at each other. With a gentle but decisive clap she said, “Get your garden shears. We’re going into the woods.”

Like a mother duck and her ducklings, Kate took her students across the bridge to the entrance of the forest. It benefits us all; she thought, to convince herself that she was not making a serious mistake.

“Alright,” Everyone crowded around her so they could hear what she was saying. “Rules: you can’t go to the lake or back to the castle without me knowing about it.”

She turned to point out the path into the forest. “You may follow the path and move away a little as long as you do not lose sight of the castle, the path, or any of your companions. If you move away, I will know.”

A little lie that served to make more than one of them look down.

“What we are going to do is this… do you have all your books?” They shook them or lifted in confirmation.

“Perfect. Let’s do what every good herbologist does: an herbarium. An herbarium is a collection of plants and flowers that are kept after they are dried, with information that identifies them. Today we must do the important part, the collection. I have brought the only basket that we own, I need someone to carry it”.

They looked around, pretending to admire the landscape so as not to be chosen to carry the basket. Michael Angelov reached out to grab it.

“Brilliant. Thank you, Michael. You have your scissors and the book to remember how to cut a plant properly. Cut a maximum of two herbs each. Be respectful of the forest and don’t abuse it. I trust you. Come on, go play”.

Nervous, but still determined to stick to that makeshift plan, Kate looked for Dumbledore’s map in her pocket. She followed the path and went into the woods.

With each step, the laughter and footsteps of her students faded away. Following the line indicated on the map, there came a moment when only her own steps could be heard. A turn to the right, a jump over a fallen log, and a few more steps led her to a clearing. The line on the map did not advance in any other direction.

The wind suddenly picked up and Kate put her hand to her chest and covered her throat with her robes. She looked up. The treetops swayed above her. They were really tall. A strange thing for the climate of the area. She took a few steps to the nearest tree and placed her hand on the wood.

The entire tree vibrated, and a golden glow surrounded it for a second. Kate smiled. They were protected with magic, a rare technique given their difficulty in execution, but if done correctly, entire areas of vegetation could be preserved for centuries.

She glanced around, looking for signs that someone had been there, but did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

Drawing out her wand, she mumbled, _“homenum revelio”,_ but only the wind appeared.

She took a deep breath and twisted the wand slightly to prepare for the next spell. It was time to demonstrate that she had been paying attention to Charlie’s tracking lessons, and that she hadn’t just stood by and stared at him.

_“Appare vestigium.“_

A golden swirl came out of her wand, illuminating the area. Several scenes were played in front of her: Kent Jorgensen transforming into a hawk, a hooded figure talking to Leron Angelov, Cassandra running, Mer Yankelevich looking around, Libor Marek casting a spell, footprints of…

A creak of branches alerted her.

She stood still where she was and looked around, trying to make as little noise as possible. All she could hear was her breathing and the whistling of the wind through the leaves. She saw a glint in the branches and held her breath. A centaur appeared from among the trees.

Keeping her eye on the arrow that was pointing at her, Kate raised her arms, showing the map and wand. She did not look away from the weapon; she knew a herd surrounded her. There was no need to check.

Would he be the one Dumbledore wanted her to trust? Slowly she bent down and left both the wand and the map on the ground.

The centaur pulled the string of his bow, and Kate gasped.

“There are children in the forest! And they are my responsibility. I’m looking for someone, I don’t want any trouble,” she said hurriedly, fearing the worst. She resisted the urge to grab her wand because that would be digging her own grave.

The arrow shot out before she knew it, hitting the target effectively. Kate pressed her eyes closed instinctively.

But the pain never came.

She looked down and saw it stuck in the ground. A scroll was wrapped around it. When she looked up, the centaur was gone. She bent down to pick up the scroll and unrolled it.

_Find the room and the names. There is not just one mark._

_Nerida had more than one profession._

_Do not return. We will not meet._

You can tell this person is a friend of Dumbledore’s, she thought.

She didn’t dare touch the arrow, so she left it where it was and set off to return to her students. She dawdled her way to the children, a little afraid of another reunion with the centaurs. She knew that they avoided humans at all costs and that this time they were just messengers, but the thought of endangering the students gave her goosebumps. She heard laughter and people talking, but before returning to them, she held Dumbledore’s map and the stranger’s note and with a wave of her wand, set them on fire.

“Professor Williams? Professor Williams!”

Kate shot out, waving her wand in the scream’s direction and found one of her students, Vivien, waiting for her to arrive. The smile on her face reassured her.

“Professor Williams, look!”

Kate mentally counted all the children who had arrived when she heard Vivien’s voice and found that no one was missing. They walked to a tree that was thicker than the rest and, with a little more inspection, Kate discovered what Vivien wanted to show her.

“Oh! Umbrella flowers!” Three small umbrella-shaped flowers floated near the tree and swayed slightly in the breeze. Two of them were pink, the other was yellow. “These are beautiful! Very good find, Vivien.”

“They look like mushrooms…” said Jon Hopkins.

“It’s a very interesting comparison because… Look inside, they have some small capsules where they keep spores. They are not reproductive, they are responsible for floating.” She turned away so they could look inside the flowers. “These are tiny, but they can be the same size as you. The cover that gives them their name protects them from heavy rain and cold.”

“They are a bit boring. In the book it says that there are plants that have fangs or claws. What do these do?” commented another student. Kate stood there thoughtfully, reproducing in her head the image of clawed umbrella flowers, and a laugh escaped her lips.

“Well, don’t you think it’s enough that they fly? If they also had teeth that would be…” She gasped, “What a great idea you just had, Ivan!” They shared some puzzled looks before looking at Kate as if she had just gone mad.

“What if I told you it might be possible… to make them have teeth?” He let them mutter to each other before going on, “it could be our project for AEDA. I’ve seen fanged geranium seeds in the greenhouse. We could try…”

“You mean…” started Micael Angelov “crossing the two species?”

“Yes. Exactly that. I’ve never done it, it could be fun, what do you think? Does anyone else want to participate?”

Kate approached the flowers and asked Vivien to borrow her scissors. With great care, she cut a strand that was growing from the inside and gave the tool back to her student. “This will be enough.”

Michael extended the basket for her to examine.

“Very good collection. Let’s see what’s in here… wolf’s bane! Interesting. This looks like wild celery… and these I don’t know. Brilliant! We already have a lot to do.”

They discussed it animatedly together on the way to the castle and Kate used their good humour to remind them that even if they had this project in hand, they would not be spared from practising transplanting between pots. The last stretch was filled with grunts and laughter from Kate.

The next day, Kate met with Corentin again, with all the intention of telling him about her escape to the forest and the information she was presented there.

The librarian received her with his own good news.

“I have found it.” He said with excitement. “Follow me. Last night I couldn’t stop thinking about…you know…so I began studying the blueprints.”

They gathered at their usual small table, away from prying eyes. Corentin pointed to the scroll.

“Here is the library, the duelling classroom, the charms classroom, the hospital wing…” He pointed at each of the rooms on the ground floor until he reached the trophy room. He moved his finger back a little and waited for Kate’s reaction.

She looked at him and shook her head. “There’s nothing there.”

“No… but if you put this on top…” He slid a scroll that had only several lines and squares drawn in no particular order, and had one edge fitted into the space on the bottom plane.

“There is a secret room a little further back.” She nodded proudly, but her happiness quickly evaporated. “But that’s what we expected. There must be dozens of hidden places here. Unfortunately, it means nothing.”

“There are at least four. I’ve done the same for each floor plan, and there’s only one match in each one. These 8 scrolls show each floor in its entirety plus the fragments of the secret rooms.”

Kate looked at the table in amazement. “Excellent work, Corentin.” He bowed his head and smiled. “I have something to tell you too.”

Corentin didn’t believe what he was hearing. He kept his calm demeanour, but Kate noticed that it surprised him.

“So a person you don’t know who he is, and whom you haven’t seen, has delivered a message to you in the woods.”

“Yes.”

“And you trust this person.”

“Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the plans again. “Everything seems to point to Nerida Vulchanova, doesn’t it?”

“It seems so. Maybe we should start in the trophy room. There’s a painting of her there, isn’t there? Maybe it’ll give us a clue.”

“Unlikely. But we can try.” They were silent for a while, and Corentin turned to find Kate looking at him. “You mean now?”

She smiled innocently, and Corentin agreed to the little manipulation. Together they sorted out the papers before going to investigate Nerida’s painting.

The portrait received them with a small smile, as if she knew what they had been up to. Luckily for them, the room was deserted.

“Corentin, what do you know about her?”

“Well… the essential. She was a brilliant woman. She designed and built the castle as a perfect fortress. She was skilled in many disciplines; architecture, of course, the dark arts, alchemy, astronomy… It is said that she liked to sail, and that she drew hundreds of maps of the seas showing islands that only she had found.”

Kate touched the plate of her date of birth and death. “How did she die?”

“It is not known exactly. Her death was filed as ‘in strange circumstances’. The books do not agree on the date either.“

“And this one here? Is it the right one?” Corentin approached to inspect it and shrugged..

“It could be. The newest texts date from those years so…” He took a handkerchief out of his pocket to clean the plate from the dust layer it had and, as he did so, it slipped off, leaving a hole in its place.

“Corentin!” Kate gasped. He pulled out his wand and lit the hole, but it was apparently empty.

The librarian went to put his hand in, but Kate stopped him before he could do anything. “What are you doing?”

“It could be a similar mechanism as the one in the library.” Corentin put his hand inside and when he pressed, a slight ‘click’ was heard. They took a couple of steps backwards and Nerida Vulchanova’s huge painting slowly opened.

“It’s Muggle-like. It’s brilliant, if you think about it, the blood purists would never have thought of it,” said Kate.

The painting stopped moving, revealing a stone wall. Disappointment was evident on both faces. They stared at the wall for a moment without saying anything to each other, until Corentin spoke,

“There’s a reasonably simple potion for getting through walls. It’s dark magic, but I know you’d be able to perform. You need water from the lake, sopophorous beans and bottled ghost breath. Then you heat…”

“How am I supposed to get bottled ghost breath?”

“Well, you need a bottle and a willing ghost.”

“You just want to see me bang my head against the wall, don’t you?”

“It was just a suggestion…”

Kate shook her head and went over to the wall. She placed both hands on top of it and pushed to see what would happen. She felt around the stone, looking for any irregularities or anything that might indicate a mechanism similar to the one in the painting.

“Corentin, look at this.” The librarian approached and crouched in the corner where she was. The Deathly Hallows symbol adorned the stone.

“I think we’re on the right track.”


	13. Threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING** : mentions of drug abuse

The first storm of May left the school in a darkness Kate never saw before. The temperature had abruptly dropped; the exams were getting closer and the Quidditch game that week had been cancelled as a result of an avalanche that had reached the castle grounds.  
Ranunculus glacialis; Draba lactea; Dryas octopetala; Cicerbita alpina... she was reading the different plants stuck together with Spello-tape and correctly classified that she had hung on the walls of the classroom. The herbarium project had been successful even among the most reluctant students; so much they begged to go to the lake and expand their works of art with aquatic plants.  
With a proud smile, Kate looked out the window of the herbology class, following the comings and goings of the students who passed by and lamented their lost quidditch match.  
In the distance, Mer Yankelevich was coming from the lake, wearing a large hood to protect herself from the rain.  
Her gaze turned to the column. Astrid Rhode and Libor Marek were talking beside it. The teacher must have felt eyes resting on him, for he scanned his surroundings. Realising that it was Kate who was watching him, he turned his attention back to Rhode, who glanced at her as well. “In my experience,” the curse-breaker from Iceland than Rhode had hired had said, “someone has tried to break a curse that does not exist.”  
In another time and in another school, all eyes would have been on Kate. Now, free of that burden, she turned to see if her students had finished copying on their scrolls the Herbivicus charm used to make plants grow at high speed.  
“I know that the attempt to make the umbrella flowers germinate has not turned out as we expected. They are very obstinate flowers, but we must be even more stubborn. This Friday, we will change the fertiliser we have been using for a more refined one”.  
Thunder rumbled on the castle walls and some children began to get restless.  
“Perhaps they don’t like this weather,” she joked before climbing onto the platform where her desk was placed. “When we get the optimal conditions for their germination, we’ll practice the spell until they come into bloom. However, and this is very important, we must not let the flowers open yet. We want to prevent them from pollinating naturally before we select them.”  
Micael Angelov raised his hand. “What about the fanged geraniums?”  
“I’ve been doing several tests and they germinate properly. They are easy to control and that is why we will be working on them after getting at least ten healthy umbrella flowers...”  
The classroom door blasted open, revealing a hooded figure. All the sheets and scrolls in the class were scattered with the gust of wind that came in with the stranger. Thinking that it was Mer Yankelevich, she went to the door to ask for explanations, but Corentin’s face stopped her. Surprised, Kate aired her wand to close the door and stop the cold coming in.  
The librarian lowered his hood and immediately apologised to the students, who began to whisper.  
“I must talk to you,” he murmured.  
“Can it wait until the end of the class?”  
Corentin nodded and headed for the end of the classroom where he stood on a corner without looking away from the window. He kept looking outside until the bells indicated the end of the lesson.  
“Let me know if you want to go to the greenhouse before Friday and I’ll open the door for you. Jon, you must give me the list of your inventory, ah! Wait! I have your works on the mandrakes corrected, on Wednesday we will comment on it... Be careful outside!”  
When the class was free of students, Kate approached Corentin, who was looking at her with a sly smile.  
“You are getting more comfortable here.”  
“What’s going on?”  
“Last night someone went through my desk. Don’t worry, they were unsuccessful. I have the plans well in hand, but that shows that someone has the same goal as us.”  
“And also that they have been spying on us.” She waited a moment and added, “This is not a good sign, Corentin.”  
“I advise we continue with our... project.” With one hand, he gestured to the windows, and the curtains closed, leaving them in almost total darkness, except for the candlesticks on the ceiling.  
He shook his sleeve, and from a black smoke the different scrolls that made up Nerida Vulchanova’s maps appeared.  
Kate had some candles levitated, providing light and some warmth around them. From her desk, she took out seven books on magic walls, curses, portals and doors, and as every day since the discovery of Nerida’s painting, they began their study session.  
After a couple of hours, Kate dropped her head on the desk with a thud.  
“I have superposed all the rooms, corners and nooks of these plans, and they are all dead ends.”  
“And there is nothing in these books that works... There are spells, incantations, words and words that say wonderful things and nothing at the same time. It’s like reading a blank page...”  
“Did you wake up poetic today?”  
“What do you think is inside?” Her voice sounded a little nasal, as she had her entire face smashed against a book, “One of the Deathly Hallows?”  
“I doubt it, it’s not known if Grindelwald got any in his time at school and I don’t think, in case he had the elder wand, he came here to hide it.”  
She raised her head and scanned the desk “Let me see the room behind the portrait again.”  
Corentin gave her the plans, forming the rectangle that represented the secret room.  
“If you look closely, there is no passageway connecting the trophy room to this place, and I have been trying to match it to one of these, but nothing convinces me.”  
“We lack information.”  
“That’s obvious. But there are no other documents than the ones we have here. There is a possibility that Vulchanova destroyed them.”  
“No...” she trailed off. She checked several sheets and held one that was blank. Only a triangle adorned one corner. “My grandmother was a Muggle...”  
Corentin raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want you to take this as a lack of interest, but what does it have to do with this?”  
“When I was a child, I was not allowed to see my grandparents. One of the conditions for allowing my parents to marry was to cut off contact with that branch of the family, and in return, the Williams offered my grandmother protection from anti-Muggle politics.”  
“I’m sure this is going somewhere...”  
“Of course my mother didn’t cut off contact. I was very young, but I remember the distinctive smell of...” she sniffed the parchment and a hint of a smirk appeared on her face, “lemonade.”  
“I really try to follow you.”  
“My mother wrote letters that, in the eyes of wizards, were empty. Muggles have a technique for making invisible ink.”  
She extended her arm to one candle and held the paper so close to the flame that Corentin leaned over in his seat for fear that she would burn it.  
As Kate moved the parchment, several lines appeared in a copper colour, which Kate recognised perfectly.  
“Fascinating.”  
Kate chuckled and left the parchment on the table. “I don’t think Vulchanova intended you to live in a controlling regime in order to decipher her map. Just that you knew a little about alchemy.” She pointed to the triangle in the lower corner. Corentin’s eyes shone with excitement.  
He grabbed the missing piece of the map and spent long minutes trying to fit the lines over the fragment they already had. Meanwhile, Kate was trying out different pieces of parchment and new lines appeared on the existing maps as she drew them closer to the fire.  
“Look,” said Corentin, “it can be accessed in several ways.” From where Nerida’s painting was, two paths branched out showing two tunnels leading to the room.  
Kate gasped. By turning one of the sheets of paper, she made the newly discovered lines coincide with others drawn in ink.  
Corentin imitated the procedure of heating the scrolls and, as if in a perfectly synchronised dance, they fitted each parchment with the previous one, forming a map of the ground floor that occupied the whole desk.  
When Kate placed the last paper, a golden light emanated from one corner. The light moved through the junction between the papers, forking and coming together until it disappeared. Corentin raised a corner, noting with fascination and surprise that they now had a single plan of the castle.  
“Wait! It’s disappearing!”  
Corentin brought the map closer to the candles and the rooms and passages reappeared, making both of them sigh in relief. “With the Muggle trick that doesn’t happen.”  
“Maybe she thought she had to give it a magic twist.”

After tidying up the room, Corentin left Kate thinking about their more-than-suspicious meetings.. They had to be more careful from that moment on; if someone was watching them, they could get into trouble.  
The storm had subsided, and instead of the sky it was Kate’s stomach that was roaring.  
Corentin had taken her students’ books back to the library, so she exhaled happily that she could go directly to the dining hall. As she opened the curtains, she came face to face with Libor Marek, sitting on the outside stone wall.  
“Good afternoon,” she greeted as she closed the door behind her.  
“I thought you’d never get out.”  
“Have you... been waiting for me?”  
“No. There are rumours that Karkarov has returned to the grounds... I’m here on Rhode’s orders. When the students are eating, the guards reinforce the doors and this area is left empty...”  
“I don’t see you too worried.”  
Marek huffed and began a thorough inspection of his wand. “I will not hunt down the man who gave me a job.”  
“Igor Karkarov...?”  
“Yes.” He did not look up. Kate waited for him to say something else, but concluded that she would have to force him.  
“Who else did he hire?”  
“And how would I know that? I was the last to arrive. Well, Hodges came later, but that was Rhode’s doing.” He shook his head and put his wand up his sleeve before looking around. “I’m going to eat.”  
“Didn’t she tell you to stand guard?”  
Marek walked up to her and in a raspy voice said, “I would stop whatever it is that you’re doing .”  
The difference in height gave Kate some security, but she chose not to adjust her stance to one of defiance; the last thing she wanted was to duel that man again. “Watch your back.”  
Marek squinted and left her standing in the cold, wondering if he was referring to himself or someone else.  
The rest of the week proved uneventful. After the discovery of Nerida’s complete map, Kate avoided the library as part of an unspoken agreement with Corentin. The librarian, for his part, did not contact her until Thursday afternoon when they enjoyed each other’s company with some tea and biscuits.  
Only one sentence was exchanged about their research and that was Corentin commenting nothing out of the ordinary had happened and that only Sheyi Mawut approached the library to borrow a book on batting techniques.  
Friday’s class in the greenhouse was fruitful; Kate’s students managed to germinate seven umbrella flowers with the new fertiliser, eight according to the children, who took the flower grew in such a way that it shot up into the air, opening a gap in the greenhouse roof, as a success.  
Kate proposed a prize for whoever found the flower when it fell.  
The path to her room after the class was full of obstacles; the students, motivated by the proximity of the competition, practiced their spells and incantations in the corridor or moved in groups to see the lists of participants.  
Amidst robes and hats, Kate spotted Leron Angelov’s head in the distance. She had no intention of worrying about him until she saw him stagger down the hall. He rested both hands on a door and dropped his head forward.  
There were students everywhere, but Kate could perfectly see Cassandra Steiner make her way through to Leron. She opened the door and pushed him into the room.  
With firm steps she advanced to the classroom at the end of the corridor and without waiting a second more, she muttered Alohomora, and burst inside.  
Like a niffler caught in the middle of a robbery, Cassandra looked up with big eyes. Her expression hardened instantly. She waved her wand to where Kate was and she heard the click of the door closing.  
Without her eyes off Leron Angelov, she moved closer to get a better look.  
He seemed to be standing in a strange position. His eyelids were not fully closed, his arms hung like two dead weights on either side of his torso and his legs... his legs did not touch the ground.  
He floated in the air, without a broom, without a spell. His posture was grotesque, and Kate looked at him in horror because even though she saw no rope, he seemed to be hanging.  
“Is... is he dead?” she asked with a trembling voice. She sought the healer’s gaze, but she was busy airing out the desks in the centre to create a larger table. “Steiner, is he dead?”  
“No. Shut up. Help me with him.”  
Both healers grabbed Angelov’s body and turned it in the air until it was in a horizontal position.  
“Hold him against the table.” Kate obeyed and put her hands on Leron’s chest. She had to use a lot of strength as the body insisted on levitating.  
Meanwhile, Cassandra moved around the makeshift table, uttering a spell repeatedly. Angelov’s hands and ankles were quickly anchored to the wood.  
“You can let go.” She informed, before heading for the windows and starting to close the curtains.  
Kate watched his eyes move behind the eyelids, and small wrinkles appeared on his forehead from time to time. As a good healer, she followed the inspection, looking for symptoms that could explain the teacher’s unusual situation.  
The buttons on his left sleeve were open, revealing a red and bruised arm. By removing the sleeve completely, she discovered what Leron Angelov had been hiding.  
Puncture marks covered the inside of his elbow, made so fiercely that a wound had begun to form.  
Kate let go of a slow breath and reached into the pockets of his tunic.  
“You won’t find anything,” announced Cassandra, “I’ve already taken care of it.”  
“What is it that makes him be like this?”  
“Something called Billywig.” Kate exhaled at the news. She should have deduced that before. She watched as Cassandra opened a small chest, containing several rows of vials, and grabbed one. “Although you already knew…”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Don’t try to fool me. Didn’t Rhode ask you to spy on him? To catch him in the act?”  
“I’m pretty sure that Rhode doesn’t know about this.” Steiner stared at her.  
“Does he sting himself in the greenhouse?”  
“Not since you started using it. Thanks for that, by the way, since you started playing teacher, it has been impossible for us to keep track of him.”  
Kate frowned. “Us? Who is ‘us’?”  
“You’d better get out of here, things are going to get ugly.” As if on cue, Angelov’s body moved. He opened his eyes, injected with blood, and tried to get rid of his bonds with a force that did not seem like his body.  
Cassandra forced the contents of a vial into his mouth until it was empty. In a few moments, Leron fell asleep.  
“Calming draught?”  
“Do me a favour and stop meddling in matters that don’t concern you.” Kate ignored Cassandra’s attempts to keep her in the dark.  
“Steiner, who else knows about this?” she asked with a solemnity unbecoming of the situation. “I need you to trust me.”  
She wasn’t entirely convinced, but gave her an answer, anyway.  
“Jorgensen. No one else can know about this, understood? If you tell anyone, I will make sure you never set foot in this school again.”  
“I wasn’t planning to do that anyway...” she replied, referring to the part about revealing his secret, but also valid for the latter statement. “May I ask... why do you keep the vials... locked up?”  
“Because these potions are not part of the school’s inventory. When Igor Karkarov was here, there was no problem; Rhode implemented a budget for ingredients that Jorgensen has to meet.”  
“Don’t you grow your own ingredients?”  
“I thought you’d noticed that you’re the first person to use the greenhouse in a decade. Kent sometimes picks some herbs from the forest, but it’s not usual.”  
“But why do you have them at the hospital wing?”  
“Kent and I buy what we need for the potions, he brews them, and we used to keep them in my room until Rhode started bringing in people from the British ministry, guards, inspectors... so we moved them to a place where they wouldn’t ask questions.”  
Kate looked at Leron, who was becoming agitated again. “Kent hasn’t found a formula that won’t make us waste so many potions. For now, this is what we can do.”  
“Beats his son, you know?” Kate accused.  
“When he’s under the influence of the Billywig liquid, he’s not aware of his actions. Giving him so much calming draught doesn’t help his memory either. Micael went into his room. I hadn’t had time to tie him up and his hand slipped out. He went after him for a while, to make sure he said nothing. Most of the time he doesn’t even go near him.”  
“That doesn’t speak in his favour either.”  
“I didn’t say he was going to win an award for being father of the year.”  
“Why are you doing this? Isn’t it better that he’s in a hospital and not teaching?”  
“Look where we are, Williams. Many of us have known each other forever. We take care of each other here.”  
“And Micael? Do you take care of him too?”  
“Of course we do.”  
“What about the sticky box that was with the bottles?” Cassandra rolled her eyes, irritated by the interrogation.  
“I pick up the billywigs that Leron leaves all over the place and give them to Jorgensen. What’s left of them is useful in some potions.”  
Leron awoke with a start, and the mediwizard came to his aid immediately. When he saw Kate, he gripped Cassandra’s wrist.  
“Don’t worry. She knows.” Cassandra got rid of the magical bonds and he stood up slowly. He groped the ground and after a while managed to stand up without floating. He eyed Kate as she aired her wand at the tables, making them return to their original place. She felt his mind on her, and she purposely avoided his stare.  
“My wife passed away some years ago.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She still didn’t look at him.  
“I have the feeling that you’re not” at that she raised her head.  
“Why is that?”  
“Because of the way you looked at me at the staff meeting. With utter...disgust. You have a very expressive face, even when you think you are concealing it.”  
“Your perception of me is based on your own experiences.”  
“No. No, I know when a person doesn’t like me. And I could say the same thing to you.” A heavy silence fell over them. Kate watched as Cassandra organised her things.  
“My son has good grades in Herbology. I didn’t think that could happen.”  
“I am not giving him special treatment just because he’s a professor’s son.”  
“I meant nothing of the sort. Just implying that you are.... You know how to connect with children. You... talk with them. Right?”  
“Yeah, that’s...how you often interact.”  
“I’m not sure if you have a wicked sense of humour or you just really despise me.”  
“Everyone, at one time or another, loses a loved one. Sometimes prematurely. That doesn’t give us the right to compromise the safety of those who are still alive.”  
“Who are you?”  
“Excuse me?”  
“You appeared out of nowhere. In the middle of the school year, and in a few months you became a teacher and the talk of the town. I hear your name everywhere, from everyone’s lips. And every time I turn around, you are there. One might think... you are up to something.”  
“What exactly are you accusing me of?”  
“Just an observation. But let me give you a piece of advice...”  
“No. I won’t tell anyone about your condition if that’s what you’re worried about. But If you hit Micael again I swear....”  
“You shouldn’t be threatening me.”  
Kate found herself positively conflicted. She meant it when she said she didn’t want to betray their trust, and as a healer she wanted to help him in any way she could. However, the need to protect the boy was competing with her compassion for his father.  
Abstracted by her own thoughts, Cassandra’s voice went unnoticed and only caught the last few sentences.  
“We’ll get out first. Rhode will be coming to give the Dark Arts lesson now. Don’t tell her about this.” With one last look, they disappeared out the door, leaving Kate alone with her conscience.  
She took a few steps towards the wall and exhaled as she let herself fall back slightly. She rested her head on the stone and closed her eyes, seeking the only thing that could comfort her at that moment.  
Charlie.  
Perhaps if she concentrated enough, she could connect with his mind as she had done the night they spoke through the flu net. She visualised his freckles when the sun hit them, the movement of his fingers when he drew. She tried to remember his laughter...  
Kate?  
She opened her eyes suddenly. Astrid Rhode looked at her with concern.  
“Williams, are you all right?”  
No, she hadn’t said her name before. A little upset at her cowardice preventing her from talking to Charlie in a way she would never have imagined. She peeled off the wall and nodded fervently.  
“Yes! Yes... “  
“Is there anything you should tell me?”  
“Nothing at the moment, no. Although... I wanted to ask you: why did you send Professor Marek to stand guard at the back of the castle?”  
Rhode raised her eyebrows. “I have done no such thing. Why would I?”


	14. Some Things Are Meant To Stay Hidden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Some names you'll read here belong to the Harry Potter Saga and some others are my own

_5 months ago,_

_“You must stop at once.”_

_“Where is it, Karkarov?” The former headmaster looked around before returning to the conversation._

_“I don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into…”_

_“You dragged me into this ten years ago! Finish what you started.”_

_“I had the time to meditate about it, and now I implore you to do the same if you don’t want to end up dead.”_

_“He is looking for you, you know? And He’ll find you, eventually. You’re nothing but a coward. I bet the British Ministry of Magic would appreciate knowing where you are. It will take just one owl to inform my contact there.”_

_“Don’t try to pretend you haven’t sent someone to find me. You thought I would be so stupid to hide in the castle?”_

_“Tell me how to find Grindelwald’s room and you can slither back to your secret spot.”_

_“What do you expect to find there?”_

_“Something He might want.”_

_Karkarov scoffed._

_“What did he promise you? The resurrection stone, it’s not real. You won’t find it there and He doesn’t have it.”_

_“They exist!” Agitated, the teacher approached Karkarov. “They exist and they are in that room.”_

_“You have no idea what you are doing.” Contemplating if he should give away his secret, he decided to put some fear in the teacher’s eyes. “Do you know how I left that abominable place they call Azkaban?”_

_“I know. You sang like a bird.”_

_“None of the names were useful to them… but perhaps the new ones will. If you behave, I won’t mention yours.”_

_The teacher grabbed Karkarov’s arm and exposed his mark._

_“You don’t deserve this.”_

_“And you will never get it.”_

_Both of them drew out their wands as a warning._

_“Who ‘s that?” Asked Karkarov._

_The teacher turned and frowned at the image of Flavia Hodges leaving her classroom._

_“You told me everyone was at the quidditch match.” Hodges turned and when she saw them, she was left frozen in place._

_“Her sight is not her best ability but…”_

_“Take care of it.”_

–

After helping Cassandra and Leron leave the classroom unseen, Kate wandered the corridors of the castle instead of going to prepare the activities for her class the following week.

Nor did she go to see Corentin, knowing that they had a project pending that they could not delay any longer.

She wanted to go home. She had had enough of the whole thing, and the possibility of not being able to return in a near future scared her. How much longer was the nightmare going to last?

A pair of eyes were on her, she sensed it, and tried to appear as unbothered as she could. The attempt at discovering who was watching her through legilimency failed, so she turned around to check her back. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just students coming and going.

As she turned to continue on her way, she came face to face with Kent Jorgensen, who only glanced at her before looking around.

“I’d like to talk to you. Not here. There are too many prying ears.”

Kate knew that Cassandra would tell Jorgensen that someone else knew the secret that they had managed to keep hidden, but she didn’t expect it to be so soon. She followed him to the front door, and they went outside. “A walk?”

“To the greenhouse.” The phrase came out as a command rather than the suggestion she had in mind.

“To the greenhouse, then.”

They walked silently the short way to Kate’s workplace and when she closed the door behind her, Jorgensen finally spoke.

“So you know.”

“Yes.” She put on some gloves to protect herself from the bite of the fanged geraniums and started placing the pots on the central table, side by side, unconsciously creating a barrier between the two. She grabbed a spray and casually started to take care of her plants.

“I think I owe you an apology.” Jorgensen commented, looking around. “You have made a very interesting place out of that old building. Where did you get the umbrella flowers?”

Kate stopped spraying the geraniums and looked him straight in the eye. “Why do you owe me an apology?” Jorgensen lowered his head.

“I misjudged you. I thought you were here for him. When… what are you doing?”

“Yesterday I gave them gumbumbles to eat. If I don’t clean their teeth, the treacle can wilt them.” While Jorgensen was talking Kate had opened a drawer and pulled out some forceps she put in the mouth of one of the geraniums so she could sprinkle a greyish substance inside.

“Leron is not conscious when he is under the influence of the Billywig. When I heard that Flavia had suffered these ‘accidents’ I thought… I was afraid for him.” Jorgensen frowned as he saw Kate put her hand into the geranium’s mouth.

“The tongue must also be cleaned,” she simply said. When she finished with that plant, she left her gadgets on the table. The time for evasion was over.

“I apologise to you too.” Jorgensen looked surprised. “I thought you were behind Flavia’s accidents.”

“And why would you think such a thing?”

“Well… you must admit that you didn’t look innocent when you talked about it.”

The professor put his hands behind his back, “So Rhode really didn’t bring you here to take him away?” Kate shook her head, hoping he would believe her.

“I’ve already told Steiner. Rhode doesn’t know anything, and if she finds out, it won’t be because of me.”

Kate continued her routine, taking care of each of the geraniums while Jorgensen eyed at her.

“He’s always been like that, you know? His wife’s death only made it worse.”

“Steiner told me you don’t want to send him to a hospital.”

“ _She_ doesn’t want to. I’ve been flirting with the idea since the day he hit Micael.” He paused, and Kate looked up as she sensed a deep sadness. “He’s my friend though, nobody knows him better than us.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Losing the people you love is a heavy pain. As if a rock bigger than you were crushing your chest. It’s our responsibility to learn to get rid of the weight that keeps us from moving forward and go on our way with a little bit of dirt in our pockets, to remind us of what we have experienced.”

As Kate put the pots back and cleaned the soil off the table while taking glances at him. Jorgensen was left pensive for a moment and continued to speak, perhaps to himself, in a monologue he wished would help him clear his head.

“Leron took refuge in a familiar place, a dark place where he could neither see nor feel. A decision that is taking its toll on him.”

Kate sat down on one of the benches, the table still keeping the distance between them. Better that way, she thought, despite the situation with Jorgensen had taken quite a turn, she didn’t trust anyone in that school.

“Is there anything else you want to ask me?” He questioned.

“I know he’s meeting someone in the woods.” Jorgensen’s eyebrow shot to his hairline, “With whom?”

“With his supplier, of course. The Billywigs are not native to this area. That man is very elusive. Every day I fly over the forest to find him, but by the time I get down he’s gone. I have never managed to catch Leron with billywigs in his hand because he used to hide them here before entering the castle”.

Kate pondered this new information for a long time. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if any of her friends were going through a similar situation, and she couldn’t find anything to tell Jorgensen that would help him in the least.

“It must be very difficult,” she finally said. The professor nodded and rolled up his sleeves, revealing some red scratches.

“Cassandra told me you saw one of his light episodes. But if he’s got over three billywigs in him… things get a little twisted.”

“Do you think he will get over it?”

“I’m hoping he will.”

–

“As we have already discussed, obtaining hybrids comprises two phases; we have already made enough crosses and we have a pure line of umbrella flowers. The next step will be to cross them again, this time with fanged geraniums”.

Kate tapped her fingers against her thigh, waiting impatiently for the class to finish. She placed a pot on the greenhouse table, with a seemingly calm geranium.

She gave several instructions on how to treat it, pointing to the teeth and thorns as points to watch for, and let them experiment on their own.

She put her hand to her chest, following the dragon-shaped silhouette of her necklace through the clothes. In a short time it would all be over.

The thought grieved her too. Over the months she had developed a special affection for these children and not only because she feared they would run around in the same hallways with a loose Death Eater, but because she genuinely liked them.

And Corentin. Oh, what would she have done without him these months? He was being of great help in her mission; both investigating and being the only thing that prevented her from collapsing completely.

“After transferring the pollen, don’t forget to cover the geranium pots.” She said almost shouting, so she could be heard among the voices of the children.

When they heard the castle bell, Kate practically pushed them out of the greenhouse, closed the door and shot out to the castle, throwing a “See you on Friday!” Over her shoulder.

It was the day. The day Corentin and Kate agreed to start the trip to Grindelwald‘s room. Kate was a walking ball of nerves; not only for the excitement of investigating secret parts of a magnificent castle, but she would also be alone and probably in the dark.

“Here you go.” Corentin whispered, handing her the complete map.

The week prior, Kate and Corentin had done their best to find a way through Nerida’s painting. They racked their brains thinking about it until the only solution left was to find another way.

It didn’t take long for them to follow the path that led to the room and discover, to their great surprise and a touch of concern, that the starting point was a well-known place.

The library.

Now all that was needed was to find the how.

Behind the wall guarded by the librarian’s desk, Kate and Corentin were hiding in the dark.

Corentin looked at the stairs that led to the first floor of the tower where section C of the library was located. “It’s impossible for you to go up. The path ends here.”

Kate inspected the opposite wall, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. “Do you think it will have a Muggle mechanism like the painting?”

Corentin hummed, but did not answer the question.

With steady hands, Kate began to probe the stone in search of something; she did not know what, but something.

She gasped when a strange sensation ran through her body. In one corner, the wall had stopped being material to the touch and her fingertips disappeared.

She quickly reached out and looked at Corentin. “I have seen this spell before. There is… there is a door in a tower that cannot be opened. I went through it to go to a teachers’ meeting.”

She tested the wall again, this time inserting her arm up to her elbow, and took it out again, confirming her theory.

“I felt air on the other side.”

“Good luck, then.”

Kate wielded her wand a little harder than usual and with a long sigh after nodding to Corentin, ventured deep into the building.

It was not completely dark. A light could be seen in the distance. She made her way with the light emanating from her wand to the first torch. The path had narrowed in her wake without her noticing, and the space she had to manoeuvre had become limited.

The map had not yet blurred, but she didn’t risk losing it completely, so she approached it delicately towards the fire.

There was at an intersection with two possible directions and she took the one on the right as indicated on the map. The one on the left led to some stairs that went up to the first floor.

The passage became even narrower, forcing her to turn sideways and walk facing the wall. As she moved forward, she heard voices near her. They were not obvious; the sound was lost in the stone, but she could tell that she was just behind the advanced duelling classroom.

A sound of an explosion startled her, and there, pressed against two walls, she held her breath, thinking, irrationally, that the entire structure would collapse, leaving her buried and forgotten forever.

Her rational part of her brain understood that it was just a spell that had bounced off the wall, confirming that Libor Marek was on the other side.

Without wasting any more time, she kept going, as she could, the long way until it widened.

She took a deep breath and stopped.

The map was almost gone, but the last lines indicated that she had to go down the stairs right in front of her. Kate began to descend with little enthusiasm and soon reached the last step. It was on the same level as the castle kitchens.

Her footsteps echoed around her, and she wondered if anyone could hear her.

Suddenly, something else reverberated on the walls of the passage. A metallic, dry and very short sound almost imperceptible were it not for the fact that she was walking very slowly.

She stood still and waited.

She waved her light back and forth, but there was no one with her. As she moved one foot to begin her expedition again, she heard it once more, this time recognising the sound as something she should have avoided.

Behind her, part of the wall began to fall out of place; a seemingly endless stone wall closed off her path, and when she thought she could only go forward, she realised that she had been hopelessly trapped; another wall closed off the passage.

She folded the now-empty map as best she could and kept it up her sleeve so she could approach the wall freely. She cursed when she heard the noise again.

The walls began to move towards her. Kate frantically searched for something to help her escape the fate that awaited her in a few minutes. With her wand between her teeth, she groped the wall that was pushing her back and with wide eyes watched as the second one was getting closer and closer to her back.

She tried to stop them with a repelling spell, but the space was getting smaller and smaller with every second. In desperation she continued to touch the stone that was oppressing her and for a second her hand sank.

As fast as she could, she went through the rock the same way she entered the tunnel system in the library, and appeared on the other side. Several torches lit up part of the way.

Behind her, the two walls met, raising a cloud of dust that made her cough. Now there was no turning back.

She lost track of time as she walked. The corridor was long as it crossed the castle from side to side. Luckily for her, she didn’t need to have her wand lit. With several torches at her disposal, she turned right, where a flight of steps would bring her closer to her goal. When she reached the top, she was left in the dark again.

The feeling was strange. She was not on the main floor, but neither was she in the depths from which she had come.

With a last glance at the paper, she turned left, venturing out on the last stretch of the journey.

The tunnels drawn on the map were disappearing, but Kate had already reached her destination. She stopped at the crossroads and lit up the area with her wand.

To her left was the long awaited gate and to her right, stairs to the first floor that reached a dead end. With the map erased and no torches nearby, she sensed that that was the space where Nerida’s painting was.

With a deep breath to calm herself down, she took the metal mop and pulled, discovering that the door was open. Thinking that the last stretch to her goal had been suspiciously easy, she ventured into the room.

She immediately covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve; decades of dampness and pestilence had accumulated in the room, and the fact that the only point of ventilation was the door she entered would not help the situation.

She felt around the nearest walls and found a candlestick. Waving her wand very delicately so as not to overdo the size of the flames, she pronounced, “Incendio”.

She was startled when all the candles in the room lit up in an electric blue, revealing several disturbing elements.

She took two steps back, closing the door with her back in the process.

Recovering her temper, she approached the first thing that caught her attention: a large glass cylinder that almost reached the ceiling, filled with a green liquid that was most likely stagnant water.

A skeleton of a creature which could perfectly well have been a snake or some type of sea serpent, rested on the bottom surrounded by smaller bones. She wrinkled her nose and looked away to the rest of the room.

Just to the right of the tube was a desk filled with sketches and writings. It was not the only place where there were scrolls, though; the walls were practically wallpapered with drawings and notes. The Deathly Hallows symbol was obsessively drawn all over the place.

At the door, Kate recognised the map of Nerida recreated with several pieces of paper.

She focused on the desk where there were more documents. She frowned at the particularly dark drawings of creatures that were not exactly human, but Kate could not recognise what they were.

On one sheet of paper the word ‘Inferi’ was written.

Above the desk and completely covered by scrolls was a world map, with some pins in certain places. A small piece of paper was written on it: ‘Peverell?’

She surrounded the chair that stood in her way and came to a shelf full of jars; some empty and others with ingredients for potions.

She touched something with her foot and almost jumped up to the ceiling.

A crystal ball rested on a complex system of tubes and wires that she could not identify. With the hit, the ball vibrated for a few moments and Kate held her breath.

Relieved when the ball was finally in place, she bent down to read the label attached to it: ‘Erik Aaberg.’

“No…” She sighed. She had found the place where he had captured the obscurus.

On the ground there were more drawings, this time of several children with detailed descriptions.

In the silence, she heard her own saliva coming down her throat as she imagined how Grindelwald chose his victim.

Beyond the system that once contained an obscurus, she glimpsed the feet of a black lectern she had never seen before.

She conjured up lumos again so she could see better and stood up to read the scroll that rested there.

Curious.

It looked new, and the layer of dust was not as evident as in the other objects. She unrolled it and began to read.

> Alecto Carrow
> 
> Amycus Carrow
> 
> Walden Macnair
> 
> Lucius Malfoy
> 
> Narcisa Malfoy
> 
> Isidora Gonore
> 
> Thorfinn Rowle
> 
> Antonin Dolohov
> 
> Cyprus Raynott
> 
> Malina Hadwise
> 
> Corban Yaxley
> 
> Gaspar Avery

The list stopped there, but the trembling of her jaw did not. She recognised several names: Corban Yaxley had become friends with her grandfather many years ago, after he had dealt with a plague of acromantulas in the mansion where she lived as a child; Lucius Malfoy, a man from the Ministry who would not leave Mr Weasley alone, his son was studying with Charlie’s brother; Cyprus Raynott! His father’s workmate, and the person who had come to Durmstrang to find Igor Karkarov.

She recognised Dolohov’s name from the newspapers; he was imprisoned in Azkaban for being… a Death Eater.

Would… would it be possible that… all of them…

But she couldn’t warn anyone. Not Mr. Weasley, not her father, not anyone from the Ministry. As safe as the Durmstrang post was, such a letter would be easily intercepted, and even more so if someone was waiting for it. Because that list was unequivocally what the school’s Death Eater wanted to find at all costs.

She could try to communicate via her patronus, but she had refused to learn that spell from Dumbledore, not only because she had only managed to cast her patronus once in her life but because she considered it a dangerous way to send messages.

She read the list again, but none of the teachers appeared on the paper.

An unknown sound left her frozen in place. It wasn’t footsteps or voices, but like a crackling sound around her. No, it was as if someone was writing beside her; it was a sound of a quill on paper.

She instinctively took the scroll to her ear, and the noise became more evident.

She waited for a few seconds and out of nowhere, just below Gaspar Avery, a new name appeared that made her blood run cold.

Severus Snape.

Her breath was laboured, and a heavy sensation pressed against her chest. She looked around frantically, wondering what her next step might be. She did not want to leave the room behind, but she could not stay there long either.

She rolled up the scroll again and tucked it up her sleeve in a hurry. With one last look at Grindelwald’s belongings, she headed for one of the candlesticks to extinguish the flames. As she blew, all the lights went out.

She closed the door behind her and cast some protective incantations to make it at least more difficult to enter. She checked the doorknob twice and slipped through the shadows into the dead-end corridor.

The wall was cold to the touch, there was only stone, but there had to be a way out that did not go through the hapless maze that she had come from. She murmured ‘lumos’ and bent down to look for the mechanism that had opened the painting, but this time she was on the other side of the wall, so she had little hope.

She felt a buzz as she ran her hand along the bottom of the wall which intensified as she reached the third from the right.

Practically lying on the floor, she looked for a way to operate some mechanism that would open the door. By applying a little pressure, she could feel the ‘click’.

She thought she saw the wall light up suddenly, with a blue glow that disappeared in the second, but when she got up the wand had come near her face so she didn’t give it much importance.

Nothing.

What had made that sound?

When she touched the wall again, she thought it had been a fatal mistake: she felt a pull in her stomach and a force that pushed her forward. Her hands went through the wall first and touched something solid again, the painting, which as she continued to be consumed by the castle, opened up as she pushed it.

In less than a couple of seconds Nerida Vulchanova had spat her out of the bowels of her fortress and from the ground, relieved that she had not hit her head, she saw the waves that had been created on the stone as she passed solidify again. The painting closed and Nerida watched her from the heights.

“Thanks… I guess.” She said to the painting.

She crawled a little until she was leaning against the wall and massaged her arm. The hidden object burned against her skin. She had to go to her room immediately and hide it; or take it with her at all times; or say ‘thank you very much’ to Rhode and leave in the first carriage to London.

To her left was an armchair which promised to be much nicer than the floor, and she mustered the courage to get up to it.

Just when she had caught her breath, someone came through the door. The shelves prevented her from seeing who had entered, but she did see the figure standing at a display case.

Effectively putting her own feelings aside, Kate sensed contradictory feelings in the stranger; a deep sadness, helplessness, confidence, arrogance.

She stood up, alerting the intruder. The teacher’s long earrings swayed as she bowed her head.

“Miss Williams, what brings you here?” Yankelevich commented casually. Kate approached the teacher, not to engage in conversation, but to find out what she was looking at so gloomily.

“I like to come here. It’s a quiet place.” She glanced at the display case and read the plaque of the largest trophy there was. Lena Yankelevich.

“My sister. Magnificent seeker.”

Libor Marek came through the door creating a great din, and both witches turned around. Kate took advantage of that to go to the door and say goodbye quickly, without stopping to wonder why there were so many people in that room and with the name of her former potions teacher hammering into her brain.


End file.
